


Catching Up

by penguinated



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-03-05 22:15:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18837853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguinated/pseuds/penguinated
Summary: Reader is a writer for an entertainment news network and after Joe comes in to do an interview, they reconnect.





	1. Chapter 1

“Y/N, could you come into my office please?” your executive producer, Don, requested.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” you agreed, and stood from your desk to follow him across the newsroom into his office.

He closed the door behind you. “Would you be able to fill in for Emily? She’s sick and won’t be able to do the Bohemian Rhapsody interview.”

“Me? On camera?” you questioned. “That’s not part of my job.”

“Please, we’re really in a pinch here,” he said. 

“There are plenty of other anchors who work for this network,” you reminded him. “Can’t any of them do it?”

“Will’s shooting for prime time, Elliot’s wife is having surgery, Sloan is in the field today,” he rattled off. “I’ll prep you for it, so you don’t have to be nervous. And it’s not live, so if something does go wrong, it can be edited out.”

Your heart raced in your chest at the thought of hosting a segment that would air on TV. You were a writer, you didn’t do this sort of thing. And not with anyone as famous as the cast of Bohemian Rhapsody. 

“Please, Y/N,” he said again. “I promise you it’ll be fine. I’ve heard they’re all very nice. And I’ll be right there.”

Your stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch as you considered it. 

“I guess I could,” you said quietly.

“Great,” Don replied. “Head over to Emily’s desk and get her notes. Then to hair and makeup and Ralph Lauren is sending over a rack of clothes for you choose from.”

“O-okay,” you stammered and left his office.

You stood for a moment outside the door and mentally kicked yourself for agreeing. You hated being on camera and now you’d have to go on and interview very handsome and talented actors. Your article on up and coming women directors was going to have to wait now, and you were really excited about the topic. 

The interview took place in the afternoon. You saw the four stars come into the newsroom, looking more glamorous than you had even imagined. Your eyes were glued to them as the intern led them to the green room to wait, and you briefly caught Joe Mazzello’s eye. You looked away sharply, hoping he wouldn’t remember you. 

You remembered him, though. True, it was elementary school, but you had sort of been friends. Then your family moved away and you lost touch. Weirdly enough, you always considered him your first crush, but  you never told anyone, afraid they wouldn’t believe you. You were only slightly relieved when Don came to your desk and told you he would go in with you. Your stomach felt like it was doing flips inside you and your heart thundered so loud you felt sure everyone around you could hear it. Actually your fingers began to tingle. You knew it was more than nerves now. That was a signature part of your anxiety attacks.

You took a deep breath, but it came out shaky. You had to get a grip. Only, you couldn’t help when this happened. It hit you at the worst of times, of course. You barely heard Don introduce the actors to you and he gave them your name as he explained the change in who was interviewing.

“Y/N, you ready?” Don asked.

You gave a nervous nod and followed them into the studio. They all took seats in front of the main cameras. Your chair was slightly off center and there was one camera on you, just in case. Your eyes lingered on it and it felt like you were looking at your doom.

Don gave a few more instructions to the camera guys and you tried to take another breath. It didn’t work. Your chest felt heavy and constricted. Your body was beginning to get stiff with nerves. You looked at Emily’s notes in your trembling hand.

“Are you alright?” Gwilym asked, and it took you a moment to register he was speaking to you.

“Yeah, yeah, just nervous,” you said, but you didn’t sound sure. 

“Y/N, take it easy,” Don said. 

You wanted to scream. Of course it seemed that easy to him. You swallowed hard.

“Alright, let’s begin,” Don said.

You cleared your throat to force yourself to speak.

“Hey there and welcome to a special segment of Everything Entertainment,” you began, a little impressed at yourself for getting the intro right. “I’m Y/N Y/L/N and I’m here with the cast of - um,” you had to stop and clear your throat again. Dammit. You already screwed up. “Um, yeah, Bohemian Rhapsody. Welcome, guys.”

They all gave small waves and smiled politely.

“So, Rami,” you said. “Let’s start with you. How - ahem - uh, how did you prepare emotionally to portray someone as - as, um, iconic as Freddie?”

The four actors all had concerned eyes on you. It only made you even more nervous.

“Well, I think it was a little impossible to be fully prepared to play Freddie Mercury,” Rami said, still eyeing you as if you might explode. “He was a man who encompassed a wide range of feelings and personalities even…” 

He kept talking but you couldn’t focus on his words. Your vision was going blurry. Beads of sweat formed on your forehead. You tried to wipe them away, and your hand felt clammy against your face.

“Y/N,” Don said, but he sounded far away. “Y/N, ask the follow up.”

You looked at him and tried to form words.

“Jesus Christ, just ask the goddamn follow up,” he urged.

“Hey, there’s no need for that,” Gwilym interjected. 

“She’s just having a hard time,” Ben agreed.

“It’s more than that,” said Joe, getting up from his chair and approaching you. “Can I feel your pulse?”

You nodded. He pressed his fingers to your neck and looked at his watch, but he didn’t have to count long to know something was up. Your heart was beating like a jackhammer. 

“This looks more like an anxiety attack,” he said. “Have you had one before?”

You nodded again. 

“Come on, let’s get you some fresh air,” he went on, offering you his hand.

You reached out to take it, but you couldn’t stand because your legs were numb. He instead pulled you into his arms and carried you out of the studio. He took you out to the balcony. The wind cooled your hot face as he set you down. You were sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall. 

“Do you take anything for your anxiety?” Joe asked.

“No,” you finally managed to say.

He sat beside you and took your hand.

“Was it us?” he wondered.

“No,” you said again. “Camera.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I’m glad it wasn’t us. I didn’t used to make you nervous.”

“You - you remember me?”

“‘Course I do,” he said. “We had so much fun in...was it fourth grade? Fifth?”

“Fourth,” you told him and you smiled. 

“You sure grew up to be beautiful.”

You stared at him, stunned. He thought you were beautiful? When you were this red, hot, sweaty, shivery mess? 

“Thank you,” you whispered.

“You wanna watch a stupid YouTube video?” he offered, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

You agreed and he pulled up a random video. It was dogs making babies laugh. You giggled and rested your head on Joe’s shoulder as you watched. Finally, your body began to relax. When the video ended, you sat up.

“Sorry I screwed up the interview,” you said.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “I’m sorry your producer’s such a dill hole.”

“Pft, yeah,” you sighed. “Don’s just...I dunno, he doesn’t think I’m very smart.”

“Well, that makes him an idiot,” he said matter-of-factly. “Your breathing is evening out. Can I check your pulse again?”

You allowed him and once again, he put his fingers to your neck. Your eyes roved over his face and you took in the details. His furrowed brow, his deep brown eyes, the unique shape of his lips. He was so handsome. 

“It’s much better,” he said. “A minute ago it was like you were in a war zone.”

“You’re not hard to look at,” you blurted out.

He blinked, surprised, and then laughed. “I’ll take that.”

You blushed, but it hardly showed against your already warm skin. 

“Would like to get dinner tonight?” he asked. “We can catch up after, what is it, like, twenty years?”

“I’d love to.”


	2. Chapter 2

Joe picked you up from the newsroom that night. He still looked as amazing as he had earlier. After saying hello, he offered you his arm. You slid your hand around it, feeling like such a lady, and he walked you out of the building. He took you to a restaurant that was just around the block and was nice and quiet so you could talk. You were seated right away and he ordered some wine. 

“So, you got into journalism,” he began, pouring you a glass. “That’s cool.”

“That’s nice of you to say considering you’ve been in movies,” you returned. “Way cooler.”

He shrugged. “Meh, it is what it is.”

You just raised an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, it’s pretty fucking cool,” he conceded with a smile. “Have you seen my stuff?”

“Are you kidding?” you gasped. “Who hasn’t at least seen Jurassic Park?”

“You’d be surprised!”

You chuckled. “Actually, so far, my favorite role of yours was in The Pacific.”

“Really?” he wondered, and it was his turn to raise eyebrows. “I don’t often get that compliment from women.”

“Most of the fans of the show that I know are women,” you said. “Of course, I haven’t seen Bohemian Rhapsody yet, so maybe my opinion will change.”

“Okay, contractually, I can’t tell you much, but probably not,” he said. “But really, I want to know more about you. Like - and please say no because if you don’t this is really weird - are you married or anything?”

You shook your head. “Nope. I’m single. You?”

“Same,” he told you.

You smiled at each other before he continued. “So, you’re usually a writer for Everything Entertainment?”

“Yeah,” you said, clearing your throat. “I write about women’s issues within the entertainment industry. I also help write the scripts for the anchors.”

“You were a good writer when we were kids,” he said. “I mean, for a fourth grader. I loved your stories about the alien and the cowboy who were best friends.”

You hid your face behind your hands so he wouldn’t see you go pink. “You remember those?! That’s so embarrassing!”

He laughed. “No, they were great!”

You peeked from behind your fingers. “You’re just being nice.”

“I’m not,” he insisted. “I loved when you read them to the class and did the little voices.”

You groaned and leaned back in your chair, your whole body hot with embarrassment. 

“I think you’re just trying to get me all worked up,” you said.

“I might be,” he returned with a wink and you giggled.

Your food arrived, and you dug in to that. It was great, so you were surprised you’d never been there before. You made a mental note to come back here sometime. Hopefully, it would be in the same company. You watched Joe take a sip of wine, his adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. It already felt so easy around him. 

He looked back at you, a questioning expression on his face. “What?”

You shrugged. “Mm. Nothing.”

“Oh, right, I’m not hard to look at,” he remembered.

A beat passed as you grinned at each other again.

“How’d  you know what to do earlier today?” you asked suddenly. “You recognized my anxiety attack and just...took care of me.”

“I know a lot of people who deal with that,” he explained. “It’s not my first time.”

“Well, I don’t think I ever properly thanked you,” you said. “Really, I appreciate it. More than you know.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, waving it off. 

“Hey, it takes someone pretty brave to stand up to someone like Don,” you said. “And for me, a person you hardly know. And all of you called him out for swearing at me.”

“We just did the decent thing,” he argued. “It wasn’t fair of your producer to ask you to do something that makes you that uncomfortable. And then to yell at you when it did.”

You blushed again. It made you admire him even more that he thought of his action as “the decent thing.” As if inaction was not even an option. 

“So, did you get the interview rescheduled?” you asked.

“Yeah, apparently Don talked to Emily and she’ll be back in three days,” he said. “And so will we.”

“Awesome,” you said. “Come say hi when you do.”

“We will,” he promised.

You continued this way, talking and laughing together for well over an hour. Joe generously paid the tab, and you offered to tip, but he wouldn’t have it. He then offered to walk you home, and you agreed.

As you walked around the corner, you came upon a small handbag on the sidewalk. You picked it up, and looked around before you noticed a group of three people walking a few yards ahead - two men and a woman. You guessed it was hers, and it couldn’t hurt to ask.

“I’m just gonna check if this belongs to her,” you said to Joe, and you jogged to catch up to the group. Joe followed.

“Hey!” you called.

They turned to face you, and you knew immediately that something was wrong. The woman was sagging across the shoulders of the two men, clearly drunk or worse. You recoiled a little, holding the purse close to your chest. 

“Did...she drop this?” you asked.

They glanced at her arms and seemed to suddenly realize that she had. 

“Yeah,” one man said. “It’s hers. She’s my girlfriend, so I can carry it for her.”

You frowned. Your gut told you this man was lying and had something sinister in mind for  this poor woman. He reached out to take the bag from you but you snatched it away. 

“Just a second,” you said. 

You opened it and searched around. There was some cash, a lipstick the same shade the woman had on, a credit card, a phone, keys, and then what you were looking for: a driver's license. You retrieved the license and looked at the photo which was clearly the woman they held. You read her name: Chloe Sophia Martin. She was only nineteen years old. You heard Joe catch up to you and he put an arm protectively around your shoulders.

“If she’s your girlfriend,” you said to the man. “What’s her name? First, middle, and last.”

They exchanged a horrified look before giving up. Shoving her at you, they took off into the darkness. She was completely unconscious, so you struggled to hold up her limp body. Joe helped you. Finally, you got her on her feet.

“What do we do now?” Joe wondered.

“Hold her, I’m gonna check her license again for her address,” you said. “Then maybe we can call her a cab or an Uber. I dunno, though, I don’t want to leave her alone again…”

You trailed off as you scanned her license. Her place was pretty close to where you were, but it was too far to walk. You looked around, wondering what else you could do.

“You hold her for a second,” Joe said. “I’m gonna run across the street and get her some water.”

You carefully took the girl in your arms, but she was taller than you, so it was awkward to try to keep her up. You gave it up, and decided instead to place her gently on the ground, sitting up, but leaning against the building you were standing outside of. You sat beside her and held her hand. Her head sagged to the side. 

“Chloe,” you said, but she didn’t stir. “Chloe, can you hear me?”

Nothing. You sighed. Just then, it was like someone was echoing your words back to you. Several, high-pitched calls for Chloe came from the distance. 

“Chloe!” came one voice. “Chloe, oh my God!”

“Shit, guys, what if they took her?” came another. “Should we just call the cops?”

“I don’t know,” another said.

You saw three girls come around the corner, all dressed similar to Chloe and probably close to her age, looking absolutely frantic. Then you saw Joe coming back with a bottle of water. He knelt down in front of her and you met his eyes.

“I think those are her friends,” you said, nodding toward the trio. “Will you get them? I’ll try and get some water in her.”

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed, and he hurried over to them.

You couldn’t hear his exact words as he explained, but you heard loud and clear their cries of relief and delight when he told them Chloe was safe. He led them over to where you were struggling to get her mouth open.

“Is she okay?!”  a blonde girl asked as she knelt beside Chloe.

“I’m not sure,” you answered.

“Are all of you sober?” Joe asked.

“Well, we drank a little before we went to the club, since we’re not legal yet,” said another girl with bright red hair. “But we weren’t drunk. And we didn’t have anything there. Chloe went to the bathroom and these two guys followed her and then she was gone.”

“Yeah, we ran into them,” he said. He explained to them what you had done when you found the purse and how the guys were gone.

“Thank you so much,” the redhead said to you. “Seriously.”

“No need to thank me,” you returned. “Just get her home, okay?”

They all nodded and Joe ordered an Uber for them. You waited with them until it got there. Chloe did finally wake up enough to sip some water. When the Uber pulled up, Joe helped them get her in the car, and the friends thanked you profusely again. You watched them pull away, thankful they had arrived to take her home.

“You know what amazes me about you?” Joe said when they were out of sight.

“I amaze you?”

“Yeah. You know why?”

“Tell me.”

“You said we were brave for telling your boss to back off,” he said. “But that’s not shit compared to what you just did.”

“Oh, stop it,” you returned. 

“I’m serious, Y/N,” he said. “You just confronted two men and saved that young woman from something awful. I mean, how did you even think to check her ID for her name?”

“I dunno,” you said. “I just went with my gut. I didn’t think too much about it.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty fucking amazing,” he said simply.

You rolled your eyes. “It’s late. Take me home, will you?”

“Sure,” he said. 

This time, he offered you his hand. You smiled as you took it and he interlocked your fingers together. You walked with him to your building. You didn’t live far from work since you hated public transportation. He escorted you all the way to your door.

“Thanks for a great night,” you said. “I had so much fun catching up with you.”

“Me too,” he agreed. “I’d like to see you again.”

“Yeah?”

“Hell yeah.”

“Alright,” you said. “When?”

He beamed. “Tomorrow. I’ll pick you up from work again.”

“You’ve got a date.”

“Wonderful!”

You held each other's’ gaze for a long moment, and you saw in his eyes that he wanted to kiss you. They flickered between your lips and your eyes. You let him consider it, not wanting to push one way or the other. Finally, he leaned forward. He pressed his lips to your cheek and you closed your eyes at the contact. He was so warm. He followed it by pulling you into a tight hug. You started to pull away, but he held you there. You felt safe. Comfortable. 

When he broke away at last, you were still smiling at one another. He gave your hand a final squeeze and then left, wishing you a soft, “good night.” You sighed, feeling like a giggly schoolgirl, and entered your apartment.

“Where the FUCK have you been?!” demanded your roommate, Christy, as soon as you crossed the threshold.

It startled you. “I - I was out!”

“You don’t know how to use a phone?”

You scrambled for your phone, which was in your purse, and looked at it for the first time all evening. You had eight texts and five missed calls from her. 

“I’m sorry,” you said, calmly. “I was on a date.”

She instantly changed tones. “You were?!” she gasped, thrilled. “Oh my God, who are you?”

“It was with an old friend,” you explained. “I ran into him at work.”

“Was it Joe?” she wondered.

You nodded. “Yeah, actually.”

Christy was your best friend, so you had told her about knowing Joe back when you were kids. She also knew you were nervous about him coming to the newsroom.

“How’d it go? What did he say?” she pressed.

“Well, it started with Don,” you began, and you explained to her the whole fiasco of you ruining the interview before Joe helped you and asked you out. You also told her about the date and how great you felt at being able to talk to him again.

“God, you two need a movie,” she said when you’d finished. “That’s some Nicholas Sparks shit.”

“Shut up,” you laughed. “I’m going to bed.”

“Okay, Y/N,” she said. “Good night. But next time, don’t forget to text me that you won’t be home, okay? I thought you’d been murdered or something.”

You laughed. “Sure thing.”

You couldn’t stop smiling as you washed your face and changed into pajamas. Your heart leapt each time you thought of Joe. It felt like a dream. And he said you amazed him. How could this even be real? Or happening to you? How on Earth did you get so lucky to find him again and reconnect?


	3. Chapter 3

You prepared to go out with Joe for the second night in a row, but just before you left work, you texted Christy that you’d be out late. She sent a smiley face in return and then an eggplant emoji with a question mark. You sent back one with rolling eyes, since that was exactly what you were doing.

Joe met you in the lobby on the ground floor of the building. He smiled at you and you felt your heart skip a beat at the sight. You ran up to him, leaping into his arms and wrapping your legs around his waist. He caught you and spun you around before setting you down.

“I’m happy to see you, too,” he said as you settled back on your feet.

“What are we doing tonight?” you wondered.

“I thought we’d do a little dance...make a little love...basically, get down tonight,” he said.

You laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I did actually find a place to go dancing and thought we could hang out there,” he said.

“Lead the way, Romeo.”

He took your hand and you walked to the bar. You chatted animatedly about work, and he told you the things he and the guys had done in the city that day. You told him you’d seen some of that on Instagram.

“You follow me on Instagram?” he wondered.

“Of course!”

He whipped his phone out. “What’s your handle, I need to follow you back.”

You told him, and you heard your phone ping in your purse to alert you to a new follower. 

Finally, you arrived at the place. It looked so nice. It wasn’t a club - it was more elegant than that. But clearly people came there to dance. Only to a woman playing the piano and singing, with a sax player to accompany her instead of a DJ. It felt so old fashioned and cool.

He grabbed a table and you put your things down. He asked the couple next to you if they would watch your things and they nodded, so he took your hand and led you out to the dance floor. His arm wrapped around your waist. Yours came to his shoulder. Your free hands clasped and he began to lead you.

“Where’d you learn to dance so divinely?” you asked.

“My parents,” he said with a small smile. “They danced together all the time.”

“How sweet,” you said. 

“You know, my mom actually used to tease me about my crush on you,” he told you.

“That’s funny,” you replied. “My mom used to tease  _ me _ about my crush on  _ you _ .”

“You’re kidding!” he joked.

You giggled. “I can’t believe you had a crush on me.”

“I know, it’s embarrassing,” he said, laughing. 

You playfully hit him on the shoulder. “Shut up! I just mean that...I dunno, you were so out there and comfortable and fun. And I was this awkward little weirdo who wrote stories about cowboys and aliens.”

“Those were fun,” he insisted.

“Joe, tell me something.”

“Anything.”

“Why did you ask me out? Just for old times’ sake?”

He shook his head. “Nah. I mean, I was sure I recognized you when I saw you in the newsroom, and then when Don said your name, and just confirmed it. But I was attracted to you right away. I mean, even if we hadn’t known each other before, I would have noticed you across that room. I would notice you in any room.”

Your cheeks went pink and you were thankful for the low light.

The song changed to Henry Mancini’s “Moon River” and you grinned so wide you wondered how your face could contain it. 

“This is my favorite song!” you gasped.

“I can tell!” Joe said with a light chuckle.

The version they played was beautiful. The sax had the melody, and you felt your heart swell at the sound. You pulled Joe a little closer and rested your head on his chest. The sound of “Moon River” and Joe’s heartbeat made you feel like you were exactly where you were supposed to be. It was a moment of utter completeness. 

“I know we just got here, and I was gonna wait until the end of the night,” he said. “But, Y/N, you look damn beautiful, and I wanna kiss you so bad.”

“Kiss me, Joe.”

Your lips met just as the final chorus played, the crescendo matching your feelings exactly. He was gentle and tender as he kissed you, as if he were feeling out the level of passion appropriate. You were equally careful. Neither of you backed away either. You were just treading lightly on new ground.

He pulled away and looked at you. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted it. Someone was capturing you and Joe and their phone. Your stomach fluttered, and you looked back at him, panicked. 

“What is it?” he asked.

“Someone’s recording us,” you whispered. “Behind you.”

“Oh, shit,” he hissed. “Is it phone cameras too?”

You nodded and buried your face into his chest, hoping his frame blocked you. Joe turned his head and spotted the person. 

“Gimme one second,” he said. “Go ahead and sit at the table.”

You nodded, shoved some of your hair in your face and retreated to the table. You peeked over to watch Joe go over and talk to the man. The man appeared to apologize and then they posed for a selfie. You almost laughed. Leave it Joe to make a friend out of something like this. You watched him come back over to you before he took a seat.

“No worries,” he said. “I told him he could have a real picture if he deleted the sneaky one. I don’t know why people don’t just ask.”

You only nodded, taking deep breaths to subvert the anxiety threatening to overwhelm you. Joe took your hand and kissed the back of it.

“I’m here, you’re safe,” he said.

You calmed down and looked at him apologetically. “I’m sorry. It’s just a weird thing.”

“I’m sure it’s not weird,” he said. “Can I ask...where does this come from?”

“I might as well tell you since they’re out there,” you began. “My ex sold naked photos of me online. While we were together.”

Joe’s eyes went wide. 

“What?!” he yelled, and you shushed him and grabbed his arm as people turned to look. “Why?” he asked, calmer.

“He had a drug problem,” you explained. “Heroin. And after he lost his job, that was how he paid for it.”

“That’s terrible,” he said. “I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

“It’s my fault, really,” you said looking at your lap. “We got drunk one night, and I had gotten him this really nice camera for his birthday. He told me I should pose. And I did. The next day, I completely regretted it and asked him to delete the photos, and he said he would. I didn’t even bother to check the camera. I trusted him, y’know?”

“Did you know he was using at the time?” he asked.

You shook your head. “No. I found out about that almost a year later and that’s why I ended it. I only found out about the photos because after I broke up with him, he sent them to everyone in my life, even my family. I lost my job because my boobs were trending locally on Twitter. I actually write under a different name because when you Google mine, those are still in the top results. So please don’t Google me.”

“I won’t, I promise,” he said.

“Thank you.”

“Jesus,” he continued. “That’s...so fucking horrible.”

“There ya go, there’s my baggage,” you said, trying to make light of it.

“It’s not…” he trailed off. “I don’t see it that way. And also, that was so not your fault. You posed for the pictures, but you were drunk, and you didn’t consent to them being distributed. You also have every right to be wary of cameras you have no control over.”

You cupped his face in your hand, you heart spilling with affection.

“You’re very sweet to care about this for me,” you said.

“I care about everything when it comes to you,” he replied.

You kissed him again. 

He spent the rest of the evening making you laugh and twirling you all over the dance floor. You hardly had any alcohol but you felt intoxicated. Completely drunk on Joe. Between dancing, kissing, and laughing, you felt swept off your feet. You never wanted your time with him to end. You wanted this night to last as long as possible.

So, when Joe walked you home, you invited him in. It was just for some water at first, but then you kissed again, needy and a little sloppy. His hands roamed your body. You buried your fingers in his hair. It was hot and fun and a little reckless. But you liked it. More importantly, you liked Joe. So you took a risk with him.

Waking up in Joe’s arms felt like a dream. The sun shining on his hair made it look fiery red and his skin looked like marble. You ran your fingers delicately across his chest. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at you.

“Morning,” he said groggily.

“Good morning,” you returned. “Look, Joe, I know you’re not staying in New York long, so I don’t know what any of this means, but...I really like being with you.”

“God, Y/N,” he chuckled. “So serious first thing in the morning.”

You giggled. “I just wanted you to know where my head’s at. I’m not asking anything of you, okay?”

He rolled on top you and looked deeply into your eyes. “Can I ask something of you?”

“Anything, Joe.”

“Be with me,” he said. “I like you, you like me, let’s be a couple. I don’t like being weird and vague. Let’s simplify it.”

When you previously thought about this, you figured you would turn it down. He was going away and you were staying and you had so little time before this happened. But, as you gazed into his earnest eyes, you found you could deny him nothing.

“Okay,” you agreed, smiling. “I guess...I’m your girlfriend.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” he replied, grinning. “I can’t be the girlfriend?”

You laughed. “You can call yourself whatever you like.”

“You too,” he said, serious now. “As long as you’re mine.”


	4. Chapter 4

Monday rolled around and you dreaded going back to work. Although, you knew Joe was coming in to re-do the Bohemian Rhapsody interview, so you had that to look forward to. The past few days with him had been bliss. Cute dates and great sex. You couldn’t have been happier. The only damper was that Joe was leaving New York a week after the interview at your station. He’d be back the next month, but going so long without seeing him was going to be the wait of a lifetime.

You walked into the newsroom, humming to yourself. You stopped in your tracks when you saw Don sitting at your desk, smiling eerily at you. You shot him a questioning glance as you slowly approached.

“‘Sup?” he said when you reached him.

“Good morning,” you returned. “Is something wrong?”

“Come on, let’s go in my office and talk,” he said.

You set your purse in your seat when he stood up. You shook your jacket off your shoulders and followed him. He closed the door behind you. You worried for a moment he was going to ask you to do the interview again, even though Emily was already at her desk. You took a hesitant seat across from him.

“What’s going on, Don?” you asked.

“Are you seriously going out with Joe Mazzello?” he replied.

Your gaped at him. “I - I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“It is my business,” he said. “When our own magazine Tweets pictures they caught of you two together this weekend.”

Your heart sunk. You thought you’d been so careful.

“Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for us?” he said, raising his voice slightly. “One of our own writers is sleeping with a source!”

“Hey!” you cried. “He’s just doing a promotional interview. This isn’t an ongoing story. Even if it was, I’m not the reporter on it, so it doesn’t violate any ethical rules!”

“So you are sleeping together?” he wondered.

“You know I’m not going to answer that,” you returned levelly. You were impressed with your own composure. Anger was boiling in the pit of your stomach. 

“You can’t see him anymore.”

“You can’t ask that of me.”

You glowered at each other over his desk for a moment. He sighed, rubbing his temples.

“I just don’t get it,” he said almost under his breath, but you still heard.

“There’s nothing to get,” you replied. “Joe and I are two adults having a relationship. It’s no one’s business but ours. If those are your only concerns, I’ll be going now.”

You stood up, turning on your heel and going for the door. He leapt to his feet and grabbed your arm to stop you, turning you to face him. Then, before you could ask what he wanted, he kissed you. You scrunched up your face and shoved him hard away from you.

“What the hell, Don?” you demanded. “Is all this because you’re jealous?! You don’t even like me!”

He looked down, clearly embarrassed. “It’s - uh - well, it’s a weird self preservation thing. When I like someone, I’m ruder to them.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” you returned. “I’m going to say something to you that is insubordinate and grounds for termination, but you need to hear it. If you are attracted to a woman, man up and ask her out. You’re an adult, so quit pulling pigtails.”

You stood there, waiting for him to tell you to pack up your desk, but he just looked at you, shocked.

“Well?” you said. “Are you going to fire me or do I have to tell you how to do that too?”

He rolled his eyes, his usual self returning at last. “You’re not fired. Just...don’t mention this to anyone. I’m sorry.”

“Fine,” you said coldly, and you swept out of the room.

You walked over to your desk. You looked up and saw, once again, the four stars of Bohemian Rhapsody coming into the newsroom for their interview. This time, when you caught Joe’s eye, you smiled. He winked and you waved at him. His presence made your anger melt away. Don didn’t matter. 

Putting off your work, you made your way to the green room to say hello.

“Welcome back, guys,” you said warmly.

They all said their thanks as you went to Joe and wrapped your arms around his waist and rested your head on his chest. He kissed the top of your head and you hummed with satisfaction.

“What’s up, babe?” he asked.

“I just like holding you,” you said.

“Well, then by all means, carry on,” he said lightly.

You considered for a moment telling him about what happened between you and Don, but decided against it. He was about to do an interview Don was producing, and you didn’t want any tension there. Especially on Joe’s end since he would be on camera. 

Emily came into the room shortly afterward. She was definitely made for daytime television. She had think, beautiful blonde hair. Round, brown doe eyes, and a wide, sparkly smile. She was so pretty, but it was hard to be jealous of her because she was also so kind.

“Hey!” she greeted, her thick Georgia accent coming through already. She took in you and Joe. “Aw, y’all are cute! Good for you, Y/N!”

You and Joe looked at each other and smiled in a way you were sure was disgusting to the onlookers in the room.

“Well, I’m Emily,” she said, shaking hands with all of them. “I just wanted to come by and introduce myself before we got started. And apologize for last week. I heard Don was pretty rude.”

“Well, to Y/N, yeah,” said Joe. “But not to us.”

“Still, it was unprofessional,” she said. “He’s still producing the segment, though.”

“Really, it’s alright,” said Gwilym.

As if summoned by the mention of him, Don poked his head in the door. You refused to meet his gaze, burying your face in Joe’s chest and closing your eyes.

“Emily, gentlemen,” he said, nodding to them. “We’re gonna get started in just a few minutes. Y/N, if you could get back to your desk and do some actual work, please.”

You rolled your eyes. To be extra snarky, you kissed Joe long and passionately before you left. But when you got to your desk, you ignored your work further. You jumped on Twitter - which wasn’t abnormal since you often wrote for the social media accounts associated with the network - and found the magazine’s page. The first thing up under the pinned Tweet was the picture of you and Joe. It was a nice picture. You were grinning at each other. 

The Tweet just said your name, under your byline, and that you and Joe were the “new flame.” It had pretty good traffic too. There were about two hundred comments, eight hundred retweets, and one thousand likes. You clicked on it to read the replies, hoping that no one recognized you. You had not posted a picture of yourself online since the ones your ex leaked, for fear that someone would reverse search and match your face to the one in the nudes.

The replies were mostly shocked emojis, people congratulating you and Joe, or something nasty about your appearance. You read every single one of them, looking for any chance that someone had linked your image. You breathed a sigh of relief when you read the last one and it hadn’t happened. You kept the page open to keep an eye on it in case that changed. But for now, you could breathe a sigh of relief.

When the interview was over, Joe took you to lunch. You chose a casual place and got burgers. You laughed and talked together. At one point you were tossing French fries at each other, trying to catch them in your mouths, much to the amusement of a baby at the next table over, who giggled, high pitched and adorable.

“Oh, hey, bud,” Joe cooed. “Didn’t see you there.”

The baby gurgled some nonsense back and Joe nodded thoughtfully. “You make a very good point, there. I agree.”

A smile parted your lips as you looked on at Joe having a full, made-up conversation with this little baby boy. It was the sweetest thing you’d ever seen.

“What’s that?” Joe said, leaning closer as the boy said something that sounded like “a-goo.” Joe looked between you and the boy. “Well, you can tell her that yourself.” A beat passed and then the boy went “ga!” loudly and pumped his tiny fists in the air. “Alright, I’ll tell her if you’re really that shy about it.” He looked at you. “He says you look very beautiful today.”

You brought your hand to your chest and gasped dramatically. “My, my! What a kind compliment from such a handsome boy!” You looked at the baby and wiggled a finger at him.

Finally, the mother, who had been in deep conversation with her girlfriends, noticed you and Joe entertaining her son. She smiled.

“Wow, I didn’t realize Russell was over here making some new friends,” she said kindly. 

“He’s quite the chatterbox,” said Joe, offering his hand to shake. “I’m Joe, this is my girlfriend, Y/N.”

“Nancy,” she replied. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for keeping him busy.”

“No problem,” you assured her.

“He is a great conversationalist,” Joe continued. “And a bit of a flirt.”

She chuckled. “Would you like to hold him?”

“Heck yeah!” he replied.

Smiling still, she took Russell from his carrier. He shrieked with excitement as she put him in Joe’s arms. He twisted his face up to earn laughter from Russell. They babbled back and forth to each other and you thought your heart might explode from how adorable it all was.

“Honey, you need to keep him,” Nancy said to you under her breath. “He’s gonna be an incredible dad one day.”

“We’re just starting out,” you told her. “But it’s something to keep in mind for sure.”

Russell and Nancy left shortly after, but you looked at Joe like he hung the moon.

“You really like kids, huh?” you observed.

“Oh, yeah,” he returned. “My nephews are like, the lights of my life.”

“That’s so sweet,” you said. “Are you going to see them while you’re in town?”

He nodded. “Yeah, actually. This afternoon. But I’m free the rest of the week if you want to spend some time before we leave.”

“Absolutely,” you returned. “I already took the time off work.”

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that,” he said.

“I want to be with you, Joe,” you said. “Work just isn’t as important.”

He smiled and leaned over the table for a kiss. You thought of how your day started compared to what you were feeling now. Don didn’t matter. Twitter pictures didn’t matter. All you needed was Joe to take you out of your fear and and anxiety.

The week passed far too quickly. You took Joe to the airport, parked, and walked him inside. You hated that you couldn’t go all the way to the gate with him, but he had a little bit of  time before he absolutely had to be there. After he checked his bag, he came back to you. Hot tears filled your eyes and you tried to wipe them away before he saw. He still saw.

“Aw, baby, don’t cry,” he said, pulling you into his arms. “I’ll call you every night. And, if you’re comfortable with it, we can face time.”

You looked up at him, color draining from your face. “I don’t know about that.”

“That’s okay,” he said, rubbing your arms. “Like I said, only if you’re comfortable.”

You rested your forehead on his chest, relishing each moment you had him here in your arms. Where you could really feel him there with you. You etched the details into your memory to hold you through the next eight weeks until he returned. The rhythm of his heartbeat. The soft warmth of his skin. The way he drummed his impatient fingers against you.

He leaned in and kissed you, and you gave the kiss similar treatment. Although, with the way he kissed you it was hard to concentrate. It was passionate and yet soft. Romantic. A kiss to remember on nights you missed him most.

“I’m not saying this to freak you out, okay?” he said. “But Y/N, I really think I’m falling in love with you.”

Neither of you had used the word “love” before. It felt soon, but it also didn’t. It didn’t scare you to hear that from Joe. In fact, it excited you. You beamed through your tears.

“I’m falling in love with you too,” you said. 

He sighed, relieved, and kissed you again. He checked his watch. 

“I’ve got to get through security,” he said. 

“I’m gonna miss you,” you told him.

“I’m gonna miss you too,” he returned.

With one last kiss and squeeze of your hand, he let go. You watched him until he disappeared through the line. It felt like your whole heart was going with him.

The weeks without Joe passed in a haze. You were exhausted all the time and becoming oddly emotional about him. Each time you hung up with him at night, you cried to yourself a little, missing him so much. You were an emotional person, but you’d never felt so weepy before. It concerned you, but you knew you’d never felt this strongly about someone before.

After a month of Joe being gone, you were finishing up your feature article on up and coming female directors. The deadline was the following day, and you were making the final edits before submitting it to your editor to look over. 

A sudden wave of nausea hit you. You felt your stomach churn uncomfortably, and you pressed your hand to it, frowning. You’d had a normal breakfast so you couldn’t imagine what was causing this. Your body heaved, and you jumped up to run to the bathroom. You just barely made it into a stall - not even having time to lock it behind you - and you vomited into the toilet. It took a few minutes before you were done and sat back on the floor.

“Rough night?” came the voice of Don from the door.

You jumped and squeaked with fright. “God, Don! I know this is a unisex, but don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“Sorry,” he said. “Are you sick? Do you need to go home?”

“I don’t know,” you replied. 

“Well, whatever this is, I don’t want it spread around the office,” he said. “Go ahead and take the day off.”

Tears sprang to your eyes. “Don…that’s so nice.”

“Holy shit, it’s not that nice,” he said, eyes widening. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Everything makes me cry recently, so I’m sorry for the waterworks,” you said with a sniffle. “But I probably should go home.”

“Please do,” he said. “I’m...so uncomfortable.”

You thanked him again before leaving the office and heading home. When you entered your apartment, Christy was there, reading on the couch. She worked in an upscale restaurant that was only open in the evening, so she was home all day. 

“You’re home early,” she said. 

“Yeah,” you said, wiping tears from your face. 

“Everything okay?” she wondered, setting the book down. 

“I don’t know,” you told her. 

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m so tired, I’m emotional as hell, and I just threw up at work. In front of Don.”

“Jesus,” she muttered. “I hope you’re not pregnant.”

You stared at her, wide eyed. She sighed.

“Let’s go to the store.”

You went together and picked up a couple tests. When you came home and took them, the result was always the same. Pregnant. You still had two weeks before Joe returned to New York. How on Earth were you going to tell him?


	5. Chapter 5

Christy looked at the pregnancy tests spread across the bathroom floor. She held out a pint of ice cream and a spoon to you. You looked at her through watery, helpless eyes.

“Ice cream?” you said.

“When there’s nothing to be done, you might as well have ice cream,” she said simply.

You took it from her. She opened her own and started eating as she sat down on the side of the bathtub. You opened the container shakily and took a small bite. You had to admit, the chocolate tasted great.

“There is something to be done,” you said. “I have to tell Joe.”

“Do you?” she returned. “If you’re going to get an abortion, he doesn’t need to know.”

“I don’t know if that’s what I want,” you told her.

“Y/N, are you serious?” she said. “You’re really thinking about having this baby?”

Tears filled your eyes again as you nodded. You remembered Russell, the boy Joe had entertained in the restaurant, and words Nancy said to you. Joe would be a wonderful father. But you were still so new into the relationship and this was a lifetime commitment to make. More permanent even than marriage.

“You and Joe hardly know each other,” she argued. 

“We love each other,” you said. “I’m not saying I definitely will keep it. It’s just an option.”

“You need to go to the doctor,” she said with a sigh. “Find out how far along you are and get the regular tests. That might help in your decision.”

You nodded, a bit lost for words. She put a warm hand on your shoulder.

“And whatever you decide, Y/N,” she said. “I’ll support you. I promise.”

“Thank you,” you said, choking on your emotions again.

When you went to the doctor, they confirmed you were pregnant and had a healthy baby. You were early in the pregnancy, only about seven weeks or so. You almost laughed when you heard that. It meant Joe probably knocked you up the first time you had sex. 

They did an ultrasound and you looked at the screen. The doctor pointed out to you exactly where your baby was inside you. It didn’t look like a baby. It looked more like a bean. You watched in awe as you saw a small flicker. A heartbeat. 

“That’s it?” you wondered. “That’s the baby?”

The doctor nodded. “That’s it,” she said. “It’s healthy so far. But if you plan on keeping the pregnancy, I’d like to recommend some vitamins and other supplements to help your body through it.”

You continued to gaze at the screen and that little flicker. You looked down at your tummy. It was still its usual shape, but it felt different. 

“I’d like your recommendations, please,” you said.

She smiled, and rattled off a few things you could pick up at any pharmacy. You jotted them down in your reporting notebook, and went by the store before work. You also carried the sonogram she’d given you. There were arrows pointing to the baby. When you took a seat at your desk, you looked around carefully to be sure no one could see you and pulled it out again just to look at it. You had made up your mind.

When Joe called you that night, you were in bed. You didn’t tell him about the baby. It wasn’t the kind of information you could share over the phone. He talked about his day and you listened, adding comments here and there to make him laugh.

“What’s going on with you, babe?” he asked when he finished.

“Not much,” you lied. “Just work, same as usual. I finished my article on women directors. My editor liked it, so it’ll be going out in next week’s magazine.”

“That’s great!” he praised. “Anything else from my competition?”

You had eventually told Joe about what happened with Don. To your relief, Joe laughed, but now he jokingly referred to Don as his “competition” and kept saying he’d have to stay on his best behavior in order not to lose you to Don.

You wished he could hear you roll your eyes. “Nothing. He’s still avoiding me as much as possible. He was pretty nice yesterday, though.”

“Oh, how so?”

You mentally kicked yourself. You came up with something quickly. “I just got food poisoning and he let me go home.”

“That was nice of him,” he said. 

“I miss you,” you said suddenly.

“I miss you too, baby,” he replied. 

“Could we...facetime?” you asked sheepishly. “I wanna see you.”

“Sure!” he said enthusiastically. “You call me, though, I want you to feel in control.”

You smiled at his thoughtfulness before hanging up. You stared at his contact in your phone for a moment, your heart rate quickening as you took deep breaths to try and stay calm. You pressed the video call icon and saw your image reflected at you on the screen. You looked ready for bed - hair in a messy bun, clean face, and in a cotton pajama set. Joe picked up after two rings and his face appeared in front of you. 

He grinned widely at seeing you. “You’re so beautiful! Look at that face!”

You giggled through your nerves. “Are you alone?”

“Ben’s here,” he told you, turning the phone so you could see Ben lounging on the other bed in their hotel room and scrolling through his phone. 

“Hi, Ben,” you said, waving.

Ben turned and smiled at you, waving back. “Hello, Y/N! You’re doing great!”

“Thank you!”

Joe turned back to himself. “It’s true. You hardly look nervous. In fact, you’re glowing.”

It felt odd to be looking Joe in the face and not tell him this huge piece of news. 

“Can you set the phone down, sweetie?” he asked. “Your hand is shaking.”

You pulled your knees up and rested your hand against them, holding the phone directly in front of you. 

“Better?” you asked.

He nodded. “I just love seeing your face. Thank you for trusting me with this. Feel free to hang up if you get at all overwhelmed, I won’t be mad.”

“Thank you, Joey,” you said. “I’m nervous, but I still have feeling in my fingers. That’s a good sign.”

“Definitely a good sign.”

You continued to talk well into the night. As usual, he kept you laughing. Your nerves melted away. You rested your hand on your tummy, where the baby was. Looking at Joe’s face and holding his child made you feel like this was the beginning of your family. 

When you hung up, you looked down at it. “That was your daddy,” you said. “You’re gonna meet him soon.”

You fell asleep with the sonogram beside you on the pillow.

Two more weeks went by, and finally, Joe was coming back. You insisted on picking him up from the airport. You wanted to see him so bad. When you laid eyes on him, you broke into a run through the airport. He dropped his bags as you came barreling into him. Your lips crashed into his as he wrapped his arms around you. You kissed him with such intensity people actually were staring. You ignored them.

“I missed you too,” he whispered when you came up for air.

“I missed you more,” you returned. 

Rami, Gwilym, Ben, and a woman you didn’t know approached. You smiled, and released Joe to embrace each of them as well.

“I’m Lucy,” the woman told you. 

“Y/N,” you replied, shaking her hand. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

“Lucy plays Mary Austin in the film,” Rami explained. 

“She’s also Rami’s girlfriend,” Joe added, teasing.

“That’s wonderful!” you said sweetly, and Lucy smiled.

You were actually picking them all up and were going to dinner before you were taking them to their hotel. Of course, Joe would be coming home with you. You miraculously got all of their luggage into your trunk. Joe got into the passenger seat while the other four squeezed into the back. Lucy ended up on Rami’s lap, but neither seemed to mind. 

You drove to the restaurant, but found yourself wishing you had just called an Uber or a cab because all you wanted to do was look at Joe’s face. His real face. Not through a camera or a screen. He was here with you once again. He took your hand and kissed the back of it. Your heart felt like it was going to leap right out of your chest with joy. This what was you had waited for. It was worth the wait.

You parked and you all went inside. You’d made a reservation, and the hostess assured you it wasn’t a problem to add one more. When you were seated, the waitress came over to take drink orders. When you just ordered water, Joe shot you a questioning glance.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I know you’re driving, but you can have a glass of wine.”

You shook your head. “Really, I just want water.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

It was so nice to catch up with everyone and hear the stories from their travels. But you couldn’t take your eyes off Joe. You kept picturing all the different ways he could react to what you had to tell him. You didn’t think he’d be angry. He would certainly be shocked. But what else? Would he want you to keep it? Would he want to get married? Would he want nothing to do with you and the baby? You shook your head to rid it of that thought, closing your eyes as you went. A tear slid out that you didn’t know had formed, and you tried to wipe it away quickly. You were so tired of crying.

“Hey, you okay?” Joe asked, and you hated that he noticed.

“Yeah,” you said, taking a deep breath. “I’m just so happy you’re here.”

“I’m happy to be here too,” he returned, kissing your cheek. “No more tears.”

You nodded and smiled. The food arrived shortly after. You ate a few bites, but you didn’t have much of an appetite since becoming pregnant. You figured that would change once you were past the morning sickness stage. Speaking of which, nausea was coming at you suddenly like a freight train.

“Excuse me,” you muttered to the table, and jumped up to find the bathroom. 

You felt their concerned eyes on your back as you left. You shoved the bathroom door open, chose a stall, and slammed it shut, locking it with shaking hands. You hurled into the toilet, even though you had so little in your stomach. 

“Y/N?” Lucy’s voice called as she entered the bathroom. “Are you alright? Joe asked me to check on you.”

“Yeah,” you said, struggling to your feet to flush the toilet before emerging from the stall.

“Were you throwing up?” she asked.

You nodded. “Yeah, but I’m fine, I promise,” you said, retrieving a mint from your pocket. “I came prepared this time.”

“This time?”

“I haven’t been feeling well lately,” you said quickly. “I have a doctor’s appointment soon though to see about it.”

“Okay,” she said, her eyes questioning your sanity. “Well, you want me to tell them you’re good or are you coming out now?”

“I’m coming,” you said. 

You followed her back to the table, apologizing once again as you sat down. Joe reached out a hand, and you took it, your palm sweaty against his.

“You okay?” he asked.

You nodded. “Fine. Really.”

He frowned, not believing you, but he didn’t press you for any more. Suddenly your pleasant evening felt heavy. Like the pressure to tell Joe about the baby, and the fear that came with that, was wrapping around you and squeezing you tight. You took another deep breath to fight it off. You faked your way through the rest of dinner. Joe never let go of your hand. 

When you dropped the others off at the hotel, wishing them all a fond goodnight, you and Joe sat in silence for a moment. He scrolled through Instagram and showed you a few things he thought were funny. You laughed and reminded him you had to keep your eyes on the road. 

It wasn’t far to your apartment. When you parked and turned the car off, you looked at Joe. He lurched forward and grabbed your face, pulling you in for a sloppy, needy kiss. He laced his fingers through your hair as he deepend it. You opened your mouth to allow his tongue in and you moaned when he went for it. You could already feel the dampness forming between your legs at his kiss. That was another side effect of pregnancy. Just the thought of Joe was enough to make you squirm. Now he was actually here and you felt like you might orgasm just from him kissing you. 

“Joe,” you breathed, stopping him. “Can’t we at least make it inside?”

“We can come back for my luggage,” he said. “I need you so bad.”

You nodded, and you both scrambled out of the car. You locked the door and then you jogged into the building, Joe taking your hand again. You giggled together as you hurried down the hall, stopping every few feet to kiss. He always brought your closer to the edge, either grabbing a handful of your ass or grazing your breast with his thumb. You actually jerked against him one time after he pinned you to the wall and kissed your neck.

“So sensitive,” he observed. 

“We’re literally three doors away from my apartment,” you panted. 

“Think you can make it?” he teased.

You rolled your eyes and pushed him away, leading him through your door at last. When you closed the door, he moved toward you, but you stopped him. 

“Let me get some water, okay?” you said. “Go ahead into the bedroom, I’ll meet you in there.”

He pecked your cheek and disappeared into your room. You grabbed a water from the fridge, cracking it open and taking a sip. The cool liquid slid down your throat and eased the growing tension in your lower belly. 

“Y/N,” Joe called from your room, and you heard him coming out of it. 

“Yeah, baby?” you asked, turning to face him. 

As soon as you saw his expression, you knew he’d discovered it. The paper in his hand told you how. You forgot you left the sonogram on your pillow from where you had it beside you last night. It felt like your blood drained from your body as you waited for him to say something. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was turned down, deep in thought, but you couldn’t discern what his thought was. 

“Y-you’re pregnant?” he said in an almost inaudible whisper.

You nodded slowly. “I meant to actually tell you, but I forgot about the picture….”

Before you could say anymore, a smile erupted across his face. He crossed the room in three strides, picking you up in his arms and spinning you around, laughing with pure joy. You held tightly to his shoulders and joined him in the celebration. 

“Are you really happy?” you asked as he set you on the counter. 

“Are you kidding?” he returned. “I’m thrilled! I’ve always wanted to be a dad!”

“But, it’s so unexpected, and we’re not married or anything,” you reminded him. “We’ve only been dating a little over two months.”

“Those things don’t matter,” he said. “Not when you’re really in love.” He kissed you sweetly on the nose. “And technically, we’ve known each other for two decades.”

You chuckled. “Fair point.”

“As for the marriage thing,” he said. “Do...do you want to get married?”

“Yeah, someday,” you told him. “I don’t think we need to go to the courthouse tomorrow or anything. But honestly, I just want to be committed to each other for now. I don’t need any big promises right away.”

“Alright,” he agreed. “We can cross that bridge when we get there.”

“Sounds good,” you said. 

“So, do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” he asked eagerly.

You laughed. “I’m only nine weeks along! You don’t usually know that until twenty weeks.”

“Twenty weeks?!” he cried. “I can’t wait that long!”

“You’ll have to, honey,” you replied. 

He rubbed his hands on your thighs as he stood between them. 

“I’m glad you’re keeping it,” he said. 

“I considered the alternatives,” you told him. “But I want this baby. I want  _ your _ baby.”

He closed his eyes and hummed at the words. “Our baby.”

You ran your fingers through his hair before he held up the sonogram again. 

“I can’t believe this,” he said. “I’m so happy I could explode.”

“Me too,” you told him. “But we can’t tell anyone yet. Not until the twelve week scan.”

“What?!” he gasped. “You haven’t told anyone else?”

“Christy knows, but only because she was there when I took the tests,” you said. “So to be fair, you can tell one person.”

“I’m telling Rami,” he decided. 

“That’s a good choice,” you said. 

You both just looked at the photo for a few moments more. He placed his hand on your tummy, before bending down and pressing his lips to it. It tickled so you couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped you. He kissed it again mischievously, and you laughed. He straightened up and smiled at you again. 

“I hope this doesn’t mean sex is off the table,” you said. “Because I have honestly never wanted you more.”

“Oh, hell yeah,” he said. “We can have all the sex you want, babe. And I won’t even have to wear a condom!”

“Well, you gotta take me to the bedroom now because you standing there is driving me crazy, Joey.”

He didn’t wait a single second before grabbing your firmly by the ass and carrying you into the bedroom. 


	6. Chapter 6

You rested your head on Joe’s chest in the afterglow, more content than you had been in months. He dragged his fingers up and down your arm and it felt so nice you were sure you’d fall asleep in minutes. Only, Joe was wide awake and still excited about the baby.

“When’s the due date?” he asked.

“February 20th,” you said. 

“Okay,” he said. “I’m cancelling everything. I’m gonna be here for you.”

You stirred, turning to look up at him. “Joe, you don’t have to do that. I don’t want to keep you from your job.”

“It’s not as important as you are,” he insisted.

You kissed his lips gratefully. “That’s very sweet. But the movie comes out in the US in November. After that is when I’ll need you most anyway.”

“Speaking of the premiere,” he said. “I want you to come with me.”

You sat up and moved away from him. “You know I can’t do that.”

He sat up too, taking your hand. “You can. I know you can.”

You shook your head. “No, Joey. The cameras.”

“We can work up to it,” he said. “You’re totally fine with face time now.”

“That’s different, I have control,” you reminded him. “And it’s not going out to the public.”

“Baby, I don’t want to be insensitive, but don’t you think it’s something you need to work through?” he asked. “I mean, after the baby comes, won’t you want family photos and all of that? Or do you expect to just have pictures of me and the baby?”

“I…” you trailed off. You hadn’t really considered that. “That’s also different. Those won’t be posted anywhere either.”

He sighed. “Do you want to get past your anxiety about cameras?”

“Of course I do, but putting pictures of me out there when people could match them to the ones Nick posted is terrifying,” you said.

“I just hate that you can’t live your life because of this,” he said, frustrated. “I wanna brag on my beautiful girl. I wanna show you off at that premiere with your baby bump.”

You couldn’t help but smile. “You do?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I love you and I wanna scream it from the top of a mountain. I can’t do that, so the next best thing is social media.”

“Even if we did work on it,” you said through a chuckle. “I can’t go to the premiere. It’s in Los Angeles. I won’t be able to fly.”

“Road trip,” he said simply.

You lay back down and rested against him, considering the work you would need to put into this. But when you thought about what would come of it - being able to attend events with Joe, getting family photos, etc - it seemed like it made sense. You looked at Joe’s face. It was clearly important to him that you attend. He had done so much for you, and was willing to support you to get you where you needed to be. He was worth facing your fear.

“Okay,” you said. “Let’s work on it.”

“Really?!” he gasped. “Y/N, thank you so much!”

He rolled on top of you and kissed you. Again, you already felt heat pooling in your stomach at his touch. You whimpered and shifted your hips up. He noticed.

“Damn, baby, it’s like that?” he teased.

“Don’t tease me, Joe,” you sighed. 

His lips found your neck and he swiped his tongue across a sweet spot by your ear. Your hips jumped at the feeling, needing friction desperately.

“Jesus Christ,” he breathed. “I’ve hardly even touched you.”

You whined. “Joe, I need you.”

He continued kissing your neck and his hand found your breast. He squeezed it and you moaned, arching your back into him. He trailed kisses from your neck to your collarbone, and across your sternum to the neglected breast. He took your hard nipple in his mouth and swirled his tongue around it and you saw stars.

“Fuck!” you cried. “Joe!”

“I love how sensitive you are, Y/N,” he murmured into your skin. “So hot and needy with my baby inside you.” 

You hummed as he continued. You tried to grind on his thigh, just for something at your core, but he used his free hand to hold you down. 

“Relax, baby,” he said. “I’m going to take care of you.”

He placed a hand on each breast now and his mouth went to your neck again. Your head fell back as his name escaped from your lips once more. He pinned your hips down with his own, and you could feel how hard he was getting. Soft sighs and gasps dropped from your mouth as he continued, and the spring inside you coiled tighter and tighter. You were on the edge just from him being on top of you. You pushed your heels into the mattress and gripped his arms tight, whining loud.

“Holy shit, are you gonna cum just from this?” he wondered. 

You nodded, and once again, your hips jerked involuntarily. Your clit brushed his tip and with a strangled moan you finished, clenching around nothing, but trembling just the same.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “That’s so fucking sexy.”

You panted beneath him and he admired you for a moment. You skin was flushed and you looked absolutely fucked out already with your hair splayed around your head.

“Please, Joey,” you begged. 

His hand snaked down your body, his finger brushing your throbbing clit. You bucked again as he started light circles around it.

“Please what, baby?” he asked. 

“Fuck me!” you gasped as he added pressure with his finger before sliding it up and down your slit.

He removed his hand and you whined, but he quickly slid inside you. He released a deep breath as he bottomed out. You groaned and clung to him, chanting his name as he started pumping in and out of you. His pace was even and steady, and you were already nearing the edge again. He felt perfect inside you, especially without a condom. Just entirely him. His tip grazed your g-spot and your back arched. 

“Right there!” you cried.

He grabbed your legs and put them over his shoulders to get a better angle and hit that spot with every thrust. He quickened his pace, snapping into you with soft grunts. His thumb returned to your clit and you thought you would explode.

“So good, baby,” you told him. “Feels so good. Gonna -”

You got cut off when you practically sobbed at his motion. You were writhing beneath him, lost completely in Joe. Your hands wandered over his body, raking over his chest and back. You just needed to feel his skin.

Another step up in pace and you were blinded by another orgasm. You pulsed around Joe as he rode you through it. Yours triggered his own and he spilled into you, thrusts slower and sloppier. You breathed heavily. Joe waited for you to stop shaking before he pulled out. 

“I think you got another one in you, baby,” he whispered into you ear.

You shivered as he kissed from your mouth, down your chest and stomach, stopping at your aching heat. He pressed his tongue flat against your folds, and you jerked again, more sensitive than ever. He wrapped his arms around your thighs to keep them apart and still. He latched his lips onto your twitching clit and you cried his name, your hand jumping to his hair.

“Shit!” you hissed. “Joe!”

He lapped at you gently before plunging his tongue inside you. You squirmed and thrashed. You’d never been overstimulated like this before. It was almost painful, but it hurt so good. Your eyes slammed shut. The tension built again and you knew you weren’t going to last long like this. You were already clenching again as you approached your breaking point on Joe’s tongue.

A third orgasm rippled through you and you screamed. Tears leaked from your eyes and slid down your cheeks as Joe came up to join you.

“Are you okay?” he asked, wiping the tears away. “I hope it wasn’t too much.”

“It was incredible,” you said shakily. 

He smiled. You lay there, panting together for a few moments.

“Joey,” you said. “Hold me, please.”

“You got it,” he said, and gathered you up in his arms.

You relaxed in his arms until your breathing evened out. You felt so good, you fell asleep there. Joe looked on you fondly as you slumbered with him. He imagined you in his arms a few months from now, swollen belly and all. Then a few years from now, with a child between you. He pictured how you would be as a family. Maybe you could have a few more as well. He watched you until his own eyelids grew heavy, picturing his life with you by his side for the rest of it. It was a lovely thing to fall asleep to.

When you woke up the next day, you heard Joe out in the living room, talking. The silent gaps between his phrases made you guess he was on the phone. You listened carefully, trying to make out who he was talking to, but you couldn’t. With a stretch, you got up. You were actually a little sore between your legs from the night before. You made a mental note to avoid letting Joe notice this in case he got a big head.

You padded out and saw that he was facetiming with someone, and he had headphones in. He glanced over when you opened the door and he beamed at you. His face was like a ray of sunshine and you waved at him. He beckoned you over, taking the headphones out of his ears and unplugging them from his phone. He was on with Rami. You sat beside him and leaned in to the shot. Rami was grinning.

“I just heard the big news,” he said sweetly. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you, Rami,” you replied, nuzzling in to Joe’s shoulder. “But you can’t tell anyone else. We can’t make a formal announcement for another three weeks.”

“Not even Lucy?” he asked.

“Not even Lucy,” you said.

“That’s gonna be tough,” he said. “But I think I can do it.”

“Thank you,” you said. 

“So, boy or girl?” he wondered.

You rolled your eyes. “Men really have no idea how this works, do they?”

“We’re just excited, baby!” Joe said, laughing. He turned to Rami. “We won’t know until twenty weeks.”

“That’s so long!” Rami complained.

“That’s what I said!” Joe agreed.

You sighed and got to your feet to go make breakfast. You made some coffee for Joe, but you were having caffeine free herbal tea now instead. When Joe hung up with Rami, he came over to help you.

“What are you making?” he asked.

“French toast,” you replied, cracking an egg into a bowl. 

He went to the cupboard and retrieved a few things you’d need like cinnamon and powdered sugar while you heated up a skillet.

“So, I’ve been thinking about names,” he said.

“Oh, have you?” 

He nodded. “If it is a boy, can we name him Joseph Francis Mazzello IV?” 

You looked at him. You reached for his hand and brought it to your lips. His vulnerability was palpable in this moment. He told you about his father passing away, and you knew how much the name meant to him. 

“It would be an honor for our son to have that name,” you said sincerely. 

Tears shone in his eyes for a moment. He blinked them away.

“Thank you,” he whispered. 

“Did you have something in mind for a girl?” you wondered.

“I’m not really sure,” he said. “I like a lot of girl names. Have you thought of any?”

“I haven’t,” you said. “I was so worried about telling you and everything this meant, I’ve barely even been excited about it.”

He frowned. “You weren’t excited?”

“Don’t be offended,” you returned. “Please understand. I was terrified. You were gone. And I had a huge decision to make. Now that you’re here with me, and you’re excited, so I’m excited too.”

He dipped the bread in the mixture and placed it in the skillet. He opened a drawer and got the tongs, clacking them together. You raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“Gotta make sure they work,” he said.

You giggled. “Alright then.”

“I’m glad you’re excited now, Y/N,” he continued. “I want this to be a happy time.”

“It will be,” you assured him. “This is us we’re talking about. Now flip that toast before you burn it.”

He chuckled and obeyed.

He had a photo shoot that day, so while he was gone, you started cleaning your apartment. Christy was at her boyfriend’s place, since she knew Joe was coming over. It was a good thing too, since Joe had wrecked you more than once last night. You smiled to yourself as you remembered it. You decided to leave him a voicemail and annoyingly - but lovingly - tell him how much you missed him. His phone rang for what felt like ages before the voicemail message ran and you could begin.

“Hey, baby!” you said brightly. “I just wanted to call you and say I love you and I miss you and that was some sweet lovin’ you gave me last night!” You giggled. “Anyway I -”

You were cut off by the knock at the door. Unthinking, you set the phone down and went to answer it. The man behind it took your breath away. It was Nick, your ex who had sold your photos. He stood there, looking guilty but otherwise much the same.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said. “Can I come in?”

“No,” you said, narrowing your eyes at him. “You can fuck off.”

You went to slam the door in his face, but he blocked it with his hand.

“Please,” he said. “I’m clean. That’s sort of why I’m here.”

You looked him up and down. “I don’t believe you.”

“W-why?”

“Because addicts are liars,” you spat. 

“Y/N, please!” he cried. “I’m trying to make amends.”

“I’m not gonna forgive you,” you said. “I don’t care if you’re sorry.”

“Come on, can’t we talk about this?” he asked. “It’s part of my recovery.”

“Your recovery is not my problem.”

“Please,” he repeated. “I won’t even be here ten minutes. And you don’t have to say anything. But you’re the person I wronged the most and I need to tell you how sorry I am.”

You only glowered at him.

“If you let me do this, I promise I’ll go away and never bother you again.”

“Fine,” you said icily. “But keep your hands where I can see them.”

He held his hands out near his waist, palms open and facing you. He stepped over the threshold. You walked into the kitchen and sat at a barstool. 

“Stand on the other side of the counter,” you demanded. “Away from me. Put your hands on the counter.”

He did as you told him. Afterward, he looked at you. 

“How’ve you been, Y/N?” he asked.

“Nope, we’re not doing that,” you returned. “Say what you need to say and get out.”

He looked down. When he looked back at you there was something new in his eyes. A look you had never seen before. 

“Who’s Joe?” he asked, picking up your phone. You’d forgotten to hang up, so all of this was going into Joe’s voicemail. “He’s got a heart next to his name.”

“He’s my boyfriend,” you explained, nerves taking over. “Give me my phone, Nick. I said you can’t touch anything.”

He didn’t obey you now. Instead, he brought your phone closer to his lips.

“So, Joe,” he said, his tone dark and challenging. “You’re fucking my girl, are you?” He raised his voice to a shout. “KEEPING HER WARM FOR ME, HUH?”

The blood drained from your face as fear washed over you. Nick had never behaved this way. Jealousy and aggression was something you’d never experienced with him, and it was frightening to watch. He shouted more, incoherent things at Joe into the phone before gripping it in his hand tightly. You knew he was going to throw it, and he did. You ducked and screamed as it smashed into the wall, the glass shattering and the paint chipping off in large chunks. 

You stood again and stared at Nick, wide-eyed. His sleeve was up from hurling the phone and you saw them - track marks across his skin.

“Why did you come here?!” you yelled. “I knew you were fucking lying!”

“I fucking love you!” he shouted. “I thought you might still love me! We had something special!”

“Get out of my house!” you screamed. “Get the FUCK out of my house!”

“Baby, please!” he cried, tears coming to his eyes. “I need help!”

This tactic you were familiar with. 

“I have no help to give you,” you told him. “I will not give you money. I will not give you food. You will get nothing from me.”

“I just need love!” he insisted.

“I have no love for you!” you shouted again. “Get out and stay the hell away from me!”

His breathing picked up again, his chest heaving. He came around the counter and you backed away, giving yourself room to escape him if you needed to. He reached for you, trying to grab your arm, but you ducked away. You couldn’t wait for him to try it again, so you darted into your bedroom, slamming the door shut and locking it. You grabbed the sonogram off your nightstand just as you heard him bang his fist against the bedroom door. He was screaming at you now, but you ignored him. You slipped into your bathroom, closing it and locking it as well. You slumped against the door, sliding slowly to the ground. You could still hear Nick, but his voice was dulled by the doors between you so you couldn’t make out his words. Burying your face in your hands, you waited for help to come to you. 


	7. Chapter 7

Joe checked his phone when he returned to hair and makeup. They were about halfway through the photoshoot. He saw a voicemail from you and smiled.

Rami approached and sat in the chair beside him. “Something good from Y/N?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t listened to it yet,” he said, putting in his passcode and pulling up the voicemail. 

Gwilym and Ben entered the room as well.

“Oh, is it something naughty?” Ben joked.

“It might be, hold on,” Joe returned, laughing.

He listened to the first part, smiling as he heard you compliment his lovemaking. He frowned when he heard the knock on the door.

“Everything okay?” asked Gwilym.

Joe shook his head, bringing the phone away from his ear and putting it on speaker so the guys could listen as well. He turned the volume up as loud as it would go and strained to hear what was being said, but it was too far away for anything substantial to come through. Then your voice came in loud and clear.

“Stand on the other side of the counter. Away from me. Put your hands on the counter.”

He’d never heard you sound so cold. 

“How’ve you been, Y/N?” said a man’s voice. 

“Who is that?” asked Rami. 

Joe shrugged and kept listening. 

“Nope, we’re not doing that. Say what you need to say and get out.”

“Can’t be anyone good the way she’s talking to him,” said Ben. 

“Who’s Joe?” asked the man’s voice. “He’s got a heart next to his name.”

Joe felt the power shift through the phone and it made his stomach drop. 

“He’s my boyfriend,” you said. “Give me my phone, Nick. I said you can’t touch anything.”

Joe released a frustrated sigh. He knew this was worse than he even imagined now.

“Who’s Nick?” asked Gwilym.

“Her ex,” Joe explained. “He was an addict.”

Out of respect for your privacy, he had not told them about Nick exploiting your photos. 

“So, Joe,” Nick’s voice said. “You’re fucking my girl, are you? KEEPING HER WARM FOR ME, HUH?”

He heard you gasp. Then a beat passed. You screamed. The voicemail ended. Joe looked at the guys, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“What the fuck?” wondered Rami. 

“I need to go,” Joe said, expression hardening as he got out of his chair. 

“We’ll come with you,” Ben said. “The shoot’s over without you anyway.”

Joe nodded as Gwilym went to tell the photographer and other staff that there was an emergency. Joe and Rami exchanged extra worried glances, knowing how much more was actually at stake. 

Meanwhile, you were still cowering in the bathroom. Nick had kicked in your bedroom door and you could hear him slamming his fist against the bathroom one now. You had moved to the bathtub where you were trembling, covering your stomach with your arms. All you could think was: He will not hurt my baby, he will not hurt my baby, he will not hurt my baby.

The hinge cracked on the door and you whimpered. You tucked the sonogram into your shirt. He couldn’t find out you were pregnant. You feared it would only make him angrier. If angry was what it was. He was sobbing as he yelled at you. You’d never seen anything like it. 

Suddenly, he cried out and stopped hitting the door. You heard a furious screech and then a scuffle happening in your bedroom. Tentatively, you got to your feet. Whatever was happening must have stopped Nick from doing anything because he could only gasp as he struggled. You opened the door a crack and peeked out. 

Christy was on Nick’s back, legs wrapped firmly around him, and she was choking him in the crook of her arm. Her head snapped up when she heard the door open. 

“Police are on the way!” she called assuredly. “I’ll hold him until they get here!”

“You can’t kill him!” you cried.

She loosened her grip so he could breathe, but just barely. He was wheezing from the pressure. 

“Did he hurt you, Y/N?” she asked. She looked down at Nick. “Did you fucking touch her?”

You shook your head. Nick tried to but Christy’s grip was too tight. 

“Did you call Joe?” she asked you.

“He broke my phone,” you explained. 

She glowered at him. “If I wasn’t already choking you, I’d kick your ass!”

He reached up to grab at her, but she drove her foot into his stomach. He groaned and doubled over, taking her with him but she didn’t even slip.

“Hands to yourself!” she demanded. “You’re going to jail today and nowhere else.”

Outside your window, you saw flashing blue lights. The police had arrived. You heard them come up the stairs and through your open door. When they entered the bedroom, Christy leapt away from Nick, who fell forward. An officer caught him and the other put cuffs around his wrists. Nick looked at you pleadingly.

Christy walked over and put her arms around you, placing herself between you and Nick so he couldn’t see you. You hugged her tightly, whispering your thanks over and over again. She shushed you, stroking your hair. You had never been so grateful for your best friend. You also wanted Joe desperately, but he wouldn’t be done for hours. You sighed. 

“Y/N,” Nick said. “Don’t let them do this, please!”

The officer came over and began explaining to you how you could go about pressing charges. Nick continued to yell at you, but you ignored him. 

“Y/N!” called another voice from the living room. 

“Joe!” you cried, and you hurried out to him. 

You crashed into him, and he held you tight. 

“Oh, thank God,” he whispered. “Thank God you’re okay!”

“I’m okay,” you assured him. “Christy got here. She called the police. Everything’s fine.”

Joe fell to his knees in front of you, pressing his lips to your belly. You ran your fingers through his hair. 

“We’re both fine,” you said softly. 

“Is she…?” you heard Gwilym whisper.

“Yeah,” Rami said, and you didn’t mind at all. “Joe only found out yesterday.”

Joe got to his feet again and pulled you close. You buried your face in his chest. Then you heard the police emerge from your room with Nick. He looked at the group of men around you and got angry again.

“Jesus Christ, how many boyfriends do you have?!” he yelled, tears streaming down his face. “You fucking whore!” 

He lunged at you, struggling against the cops. Joe curved his body protectively around you while Rami, Ben, and Gwilym stepped in front of Joe. The officers restrained Nick, though. 

“Y/N, please!” he begged. “Don’t let them take me! I love you! Please! Please!”

One finally forced him outside, still screaming, while the other approached you.

“Miss Y/L/N, if you want to press charges, you’ll have to come down to the precinct,” he reminded you. 

You nodded and looked at Joe. “Come with me?”

“Of course,” he agreed. 

“We’ll all come,” said Rami.

You looked at Christy. 

“You’ve got a ton of support,” she said. “I’m gonna take some pictures of the damage and clean up a little bit. I’ll deal with the leasing office before I go to work tonight.”

You walked over to her and pulled her into another hug. 

“Thank you again,” you said, becoming emotional. “For a minute there, I really thought he was going to get me.”

“I’d never let that happen,” she said, taking your hand and squeezing it before you pulled away. “Now go.”

The group walked out to your car and Joe got into the driver’s seat. You took shotgun, while the other three piled into the back. As you started on your way to the precinct, the stress of everything was suddenly crashing down around you like falling rocks. Nick knew where you lived. Would he come back? What if it was while Joe wasn’t even in town? You needed to get a new phone now. But that would have to wait until your paycheck cleared. What would you do until then?

Your heart, which had settled when Joe first arrived, quickened again. Your breathing became shallow and strangled. Then it hit you. Your fingers began to tingle as your brain went fuzzy with anxiety.

“Joe,” you said with a shaky breath. “I need you to talk to me.”

He took your hand, and you could see how much he wanted to look at you, but he had to keep his eyes on the road. He rolled your window down to get you fresh air. 

“Baby,” he said gently. “Focus. Do you have your phone? Look up -”

“Nick broke my phone,” you said,

“That explains the voicemail cutting out,” Joe said.

“You got my voicemail?” you wondered.

“Yeah, that’s why we left the photoshoot,” he returned.

“Oh, God, I messed up the photoshoot?” you moaned, feeling tears coming to your eyes. “I’m so sorry. First the interview and now the photoshoot. I’m the worst person!”

“Hey, don’t go there,” he said. “This isn’t your fault. 

“I shouldn’t have let him in,” you groaned. “I knew he was lying - I, um - I knew it, and I was so stupid to believe him. Ugh. I - I’m sorry, Joe.”

“Stop it,” he said gently, squeezing your hand.

You tried to take another deep breath and failed. Ben handed you his phone, already pulled up to a video that was just a compilation of babies giggling at their parents. 

“Watch,” he instructed.

You nodded, pressing play with your shaky hand, and watched it for about two minutes. You felt easier after it made you laugh. You felt Joe’s fingers on your wrist, monitoring your heart rate. Feeling seeped back into your hands as you calmed down. Another minute later, you were at the precinct. Still nervous, but the anxiety attack was waning. You handed Ben his phone.

“Thank you,” you said.

“No problem,” he returned. “Joe told us how he helped you last time, so we know how if he’s not able.”

“Are you alright now?” Gwilym asked. “Think you can go in?”

“I  think so,” you said.

Joe wrapped his arm around you in support and they all walked you inside. As soon as you were through the door, you heard Nick’s voice. He was still screaming and crying for you.

“Oh my God,” you whimpered. “I can’t.” You looked desperately at Joe. “He’s never acted this way before, I don’t know what to do.”

“Hey, easy,” he said. “We’re going to go in there and make sure he can’t bother you again. I don’t think it’ll take long. You just gotta be brave.”

“I’m not a brave person, Joey,” you replied, looking down.

“Yes you are,” he insisted, taking your chin in his hand to make you look at him. “You agreed to do an interview you knew would give you anxiety to help your friend. You helped a girl - a stranger - by standing up to guys you knew were sketchy. You decided to have child when you knew the circumstances weren’t ideal. You are one of the bravest people I know. You can do this.”

You were so touched by his words, you just stared at him, speechless.

“Group hug?” Joe said, looking at his cast mates.

They nodded and then wrapped you up in all of their arms. You couldn’t help but giggle as they encouraged you. Feeling that kind of support made you believe that you could face Nick in order to permanently remove him from your life.

They walked with you to the officer’s desk, ignoring Nick in the holding cell as he yelled at you. He hurled furious insults at you as you gave the officer your account of the events. He yelled at Joe a few times as well. Joe would just put his hand on your shoulder. Then Nick would switch again to crying and desperate, begging you to stop and forgive him. You remained resolute as you finished up the paperwork and they gave you a court date. You left the precinct feeling like a weight had been lifted. 

When you got back to your apartment, Christy had already left for work. She left your phone on the counter. It had actually cracked down the middle from hitting the wall so hard. 

You groaned. “I have to get a new phone.”

“We can do that,” Joe said.

“I can’t think about that right now,” you replied, exhaustion coming over you. “I’ll think about that tomorrow.”

“Okay, Scarlett,” he chuckled. “But you do need to decide if you want to say here tonight or if you want to come back to the hotel with us.”

“Come with us,” said Rami. “Don’t worry about any of this right now.”

“That actually sounds perfect,” you told him. “Let me just pack a bag.”

You went to your room, through your broken door, and began to gather the necessities. You heard the guys talking as you went.

“I can’t believe that guy,” said Rami. “I feel terrible for Y/N.”

“Me too,” Gwilym agreed. “Thankfully, she pressed charges. I was worried for a second that she wouldn’t.”

“Me too,” said Joe. “But I knew she had to.”

“You were amazing, mate,” Ben said. “You got her through it, really.”

“Nah,” Joe returned. “She had it in her.”

“You brought it out, though,” said Rami. 

“It was impressive,” Gwilym added. “And I think it’s a good sign. You’ll be able to support her through childbirth and anything else that comes along.”

“I just can’t believe you’re gonna be a dad,” Ben said. “That’s incredible!”

The others also gushed about it, and you could picture Joe’s face flush with embarrassment and excitement. You smiled. When you emerged from your room carrying a bag, you continued to grin at them.

“Ready, baby?” Joe asked.

You nodded. “Let’s get out of here.”

You left a note for Christy so she wouldn’t worry. Then, you followed them out the door and locked it behind you.

When you got to the hotel, Joe got you and him a separate room, but on the same floor as the other guys. You were so tired now. Your eyelids felt so heavy. All you wanted was to curl up in Joe’s arms and forget about the day. When you got to the room, your crawled onto the bed, quickly getting beneath the comforter.

Joe came over and kissed you on the head.

“I’m going to change,” he said. “I’ll join you in two seconds.”

You only hummed and nodded.

You were already drifting when you felt Joe get into bed behind you, wrapping his arms around you and settling into the mattress. There in the comfort of his arms, you fell asleep. You heard him whisper “I love you” into your ear before you were out completely. 

The next day, you woke up to the sun creeping through the curtain of your hotel room. You recalled the events of the previous day, and groaned, rolling over to see Joe, already awake and on his phone. He glanced over at you and smiled.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he said.

“Good morning,” you returned. 

“Can we try something?”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “I literally just woke up.”

“Not like that,” he chuckled. “I want you to take a selfie with me.”

“What?!” you gasped. 

“You don’t have to if  you don’t want to,” he said. “I know you went through a lot yesterday and I don’t want to overwhelm you. But I thought that it could be the first step in moving beyond this ordeal with Nick.”

“I look terrible,” you said.

“Don’t worry, I’m not posting it anywhere,” he assured you. “It’s just for me.”

Nerves settled in your stomach at the thought. But a part of you really wanted to do it. To have something of you and Joe together now in this new part of your lives. Warily, you nodded. Your nerves almost went away at the smile Joe gave you.

“Really?” he asked. “Are you sure?”

You nodded again. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

He wrapped his arm around you and pulled you close. He pulled up the front facing camera and you saw yourself through a lens for the first time in years. Your heart fluttered anxiously in your chest, but you didn’t stop. With Joe, you felt braver. Just before he snapped the photo, he kissed you on the cheek by surprise. You laughed, forgetting your fear. That was the picture he got. You beaming as he kissed you. 

He showed it to you and you actually smiled. You didn’t look frightened or hurt by the events of the previous day. You just looked happily Joe’s. You felt that way too as he took several deep breaths with you to calm you down afterward.

“It’s adorable,” you said. “But you won’t post it, right?”

“I promise,” he said. “Can I make it by background?”

“Yeah, okay,” you agreed. “I wish you could send it to me.”

“Why don’t we take care of stuff like that today?” he offered. “Getting you a new phone and all that.”

That sounded great to you. You got dressed and then ran errands together, feeling like a married couple. While you were out, you walked by a store for babies. You kept walking, but Joe stopped, looking in the window. You hurried back to his side, taking his hand.

“What are you looking at, babe?” you asked.

“That,” he said, pointing to a little blue onesie. “It’s cute, isn’t it?”

“Precious,” you agreed. “But it’s too early to get stuff.”

He looked at you before rolling his eyes. He led you into the store. He purchased the onesie, and you had to admit, it made you excited. Picturing your little boy in the outfit, squirming around as you and Joe cooed over him.

“Hm,” you said as you walked out with him, continuing on your way to meet Rami and Lucy for lunch. “That’s odd.”

“What is?” he asked.

“I think the baby is a boy,” you said.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, when I pictured it in the clothes, we had a boy,” you explained. “I haven’t had a feeling one way or the other until now.”

“I like that feeling,” he said, smiling. 

“You really want a boy?”

“Yeah, I kinda do.”

“We’ll have to wait and see,” you said.

Finally, you reached the restaurant, where Rami and Lucy were waiting. You waved hello and you and Joe took seats at the table with them. You brought the sonogram for them to see, and they loved it. You really felt like you were going forward.


	8. Chapter 8

Joe was able to stay for the rest of the month. You insisted he didn’t miss all of the promotion tour for Bohemian Rhapsody, but he didn’t want to miss anything regarding the baby. He also wanted to be there in case Nick got any more ideas. You had a restraining order on him now, but Joe felt like you couldn’t be too careful. With Joe there, he was able to go with you to your next appointment with your OB/GYN and he was going to see the baby for the first time.

You could feel Joe’s excitement as you walked into the exam room hand in hand. Your doctor, Dr. Jones, smiled at him and extended her hand.

“So, is this the lucky father?” she asked.

He nodded, shaking her hand. “I am!”

“I’m so glad you could join us today,” she told him. “Come on back, and we’ll check on your baby.”

Joe squeezed your hand and grinned at you. You returned it and followed her in. Slowly, you laid back. She prepared you for the ultrasound and before you knew it, you saw the baby on the screen. It looked more like a baby now. You could just barely make out the outline of a head. Joe gasped beside you and you looked over at him.

You wanted to etch his expression into your memory forever. He gazed at the screen with the wonder of a child on Christmas. His mouth curved upward into the sweetest smile. His eyes shined with tears that he didn’t even try to stop. One rolled down his cheek and your heart just melted. You couldn’t have dreamed a more perfect man to be your baby’s father. It said so much about him that this meant a great deal to him. You knew now that even if you and Joe didn’t last (though you hoped you did), he would love your baby forever. 

“Joe,” you sighed, cupping his face and wiping his tears with your thumb. 

“Y/N,” he returned, placing his hand on top of yours. Normally, he would have closed his eyes, but he couldn’t tear them away from the sight of the baby. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you replied.

“Looks like baby…?” Dr. Jones trailed off.

“Mazzello,” you told her. 

She smiled. “Of course. Baby Mazzello is right where they should be.”

“That’s amazing,” Joe said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy before.”

“Well, now we can tell people,” you reminded him. “At least, the people who didn’t already know.” His face lit up some more.

“And how is mommy Mazzello doing?” Dr. Jones asked.

“I’m alright,” you told her. “Still have morning sickness pretty frequently, but it’s manageable.”

“That’s good to hear,” she said.

The appointment went on, but Joe’s eyes remained fixed on that screen. When Dr. Jones brought you a print out of the sonogram, she handed it directly to Joe. He held it as tenderly as he might hold the baby itself. He leaned over so you could see it too.

“I can’t believe it,” he cooed. “That’s our baby.”

“That’s our baby,” you repeated warmly, rubbing his arm. “You wanna keep that one?”

He nodded.

“Would you like me to get you another copy?” Dr. Jones offered.

“Please,” you said.

You were pulling your pants back up when she came back and gave you a picture as well. She smiled at you as you helped Joe to his feet.

“Thanks so much,” you said. “If you can’t tell, he’s very excited to be a daddy.”

Joe finally looked up and shook Dr. Jones’s hand again. 

“I noticed,” she laughed. “You two will make fine parents. You can make your follow up appointment up front, and I’ll see you guys in a couple weeks.”

You said goodbye, made your next appointment, and left. You drove so that Joe could keep staring at the picture. You thought it was the sweetest thing. When you got back to the apartment, he was talking animatedly about the baby and how excited he was. You could hardly take in a word of it. All you could do was look at Joe and feel the wave of affection wash over you. What originally felt like such a mess was now your greatest blessing. 

“Hey, babe, can I put this on Instagram?” he asked as you took a seat on the couch. 

“You can put it anywhere you want, honey,” you replied. 

“I want you in the picture too,” he said.

Your heart skipped a beat. “Y-you do?”

While Joe was around, he worked with you every day to conquer your fear of cameras. It usually meant taking a selfie, or just him getting a shot of you when you were out somewhere. But he always asked for permission and he never posted them to social media. You trusted Joe, and slowly, you were getting to a place where he could take a photo without you having an anxiety attack. 

“Your face won’t be in it,” he said when he saw your expression. “Just you, holding the sonogram over your belly. All you’ll really see is your hands.”

You smirked. “That’s artsy.”

“Please, baby,” he said. “You can say no.”

He looked eagerly at you and you sighed. “How can I say no to that face?”

He beamed. “You’ll do it?”

“Yeah,” you said with a nod. You were too happy to deny him this. And you felt easier about a photo that wasn’t of your face. “Get over here.”

He bounded over. He handed you the sonogram and you held it delicately over your tummy. He squatted in front of you with his phone, coming in close to get the shot. You heard the soft click of the camera and then he stood, turning the phone around to show you. It was exactly what he had described - your fingers on either side of the sonogram, with just your shirt as the background. It was actually a nice photo.

“I like it,” you said. “You can post it, but please don’t tag me.”

“You got it,” he promised. 

You watched him post it to Instagram. His caption read, “Baby Mazzello hits planet Earth February 2019.” You approved and he put it up. 

Within minutes, there were tons of comments. Gwilym wrote, “Congrats, mate!” Ben wrote, “Can’t wait to meet the little bugger,” with a heart emoji. Lucy just had an emoji with heart eyes. Even Brian May wrote a sweet comment that read, “Congratulations, Joe. The world needs more spirits like yours. Hope he or she is happy and healthy -Bri.” Roger Taylor commented, “Misfire? Hahaha, congrats!” 

“You got responses from Brian May and Roger Taylor?” you gasped as Joe read them aloud to you while you cooked dinner. “That’s so cool!”

“You’ll meet them when you come to the premiere with me,” he said. 

“You should have led with that,” you joked. “I would have agreed to go a lot sooner.”

He smirked. “Well, you didn’t take a whole lot of convincing anyway.”

“Shut up,” you said, and threw a piece of onion at his face. It hit him square in the cheek since he wasn’t paying attention.

He sputtered when it made contact but then threw it back at you. You squeaked and dodged it before laughing. 

“Oh, hey, even Rami commented!” he said, stopping your onion war. “He just said ‘awesome’. God, he’s terrible at social media.”

“Let him live,” you returned. “Will you finish cutting the onions for me, Joey? I’m getting too watery eyed over here and I need to put the tomatoes in.”

You passed him the chopping board and knife, and he got to work, putting his phone on the counter. You put the tomatoes you prepared into the oven to roast. Joe whistled as you bent over. You rolled your eyes as you closed the oven and set the timer. 

“I can’t wait till you start showing,” he said.

“I’ve already gained some weight,” you told him. “And my boobs have gotten bigger.”

“Well, I wasn’t gonna say anything,” he teased. “I’m just enjoying the view.”

“I really should be offended by stuff like that, but I love how sexy you make me feel,” you said bluntly.

“I love when you tell me exactly what you’re thinking,” he returned. 

“We do communicate well, huh?”

“That’s love, baby!” he cried, holding up his hand for a high five, which you happily gave him. “Whoo!”

He glanced at his phone again. “Oh Dexter and Allen chimed in,” he said. “Dex says, ‘Well done.’ Whatever that means. Allen says congrats.”

“Tell them thank you.”

You continued with dinner. You hummed to yourself as you went, soaking some already dirtied dishes before wiping your hands on your apron. You felt Joe’s eyes following you each way you moved. You smiled at him.

“What is it?” you wondered.

“I just love you so much,” he said. “I don’t want to leave again.”

“I don’t want you to go,” you returned. “But you have to. It’s your job.”

“There’s another thing I wanted to talk about,” he said. “After the movie’s all taken care of.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to move in with me,” he said. “I’m getting a new place in Brooklyn. I want you to move in with me so the baby will have a proper home to come to.”

You blinked. You hadn’t really thought about moving. You had lived with Christy your entire adult life. It felt so normal to have her around. Not to mention all the times she came through for you. 

“What about Christy?” you decided to point out. 

“What about her?” he replied. “I mean, at some point you two weren’t going to be roommates anymore. When you got married and all that. And she probably doesn’t want to live in a house with a baby.”

“Well, you’re forgetting one thing,” you said.

“What is it?”

“I love her.”

He chuckled. “I know you do, baby. And believe me, I’m glad she was here when everything happened with Nick. But I want to start our lives as a family. In our own place. And she can come and visit any time, I promise.”

You considered it. It was a big step to take in a relationship. But you looked down and thought about your child. What would be best for them? To grow up in a tiny apartment? Or a cozy house a little outside the city.

“We don’t have to go full on suburbia,” he said. “In fact, I’d prefer we didn’t. I’m saying it’s not like I’m asking you to move to Staten Island or anything.”

You giggled. “Joe,” you said, reaching over the counter to take his hand. “I’ll move in with you. Even if you did want to go to Staten Island.”

He brought your hand to his lips and kissed it gratefully. “You’re so good to me, Y/N.”

“Only because I love you,” you said. 

You had dinner together and he told you some more about the house he’d found. He showed you the listing on his phone and you adored the pictures. It really was a beautiful home. You told him you couldn’t wait to see it in person. He promised to take you next time he was in town. He’d be leaving in the next week or so. But he’d back sooner, so you weren’t too sad to see him go. 

On Joe’s last few days in town, you’d taken time off of work. When you returned, you knew you had to tell Don you were pregnant so you could ensure maternity leave after your delivery. You knocked softly on the door and he called you in.

“What’s up, Y/N?” he asked.

“There’s something I need to disclose to you, since you’re my boss,” you said. 

“Very well then,” he said.

“Well, um, this is unexpected, but I’m pregnant,” you told him. “I’m due in February so that’s when I’ll be taking maternity leave. I’d like to go over those benefits with you again when you’ve got some time.”

Don just blinked at you, stunned. “Y-you’re pregnant?”

“That’s what I said.”

“And...Joe’s the father?”

You frowned. “No, actually, it’s Brad Pitt,” you said sarcastically. “Of course it’s Joe. Jesus, Don, what kind of girl do you take me for?”

“I didn’t take you for one to get knocked up,” he said.

“Are you doing that thing where you’re rude to me again?” you wondered. “Because it’s not cool, Don. That’s a pretty offensive thing to say.”

He shook his head. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just shocked is all.” He opened his desk drawer and searched around before grabbing a packet of papers and holding them out to you. “Here’s the benefits package. Look it over and if you’ve got any questions, just ask.”

“Will do,” you said.

“And, Y/N,” he said. “I am actually happy for you.”

“Thanks, Don,” you replied. “Are we becoming friends now?”

“I hope so,” he returned with a smile.

You smiled back and left, heading to your desk a littler happier.

The weeks went by, and your tummy bloated with the baby inside you. It began with a small bump, like you usually only got after Thanksgiving dinner. Joe was gone when you saw it, so, feeling brave, you took a photo in the mirror and sent it to him. He sent back about a thousand hearts. 

You also began talking to the baby. According to the book you were reading, it could hear you, so you talked to it all the time. When you were hungry, you’d look down at your tummy and say, “What are you in the mood for, Baby? Chinese? Sounds good to me.” And you’d get yourself some take out. 

When Joe and his castmates returned, they gushed over you. It felt more real now that you were showing a little. Joe was consistently rubbing it, even if it was absentmindedly. He just would rest his hand there during dinner or while you were watching a movie. It felt reassuring when he did so. Like a constant reminder of how much he loved and supported you. 

“You look so beautiful,” he said one night as you lounged together. 

“You certainly make me feel that way,” you told him. 

“Good, I’m doing my job then,” he said. 

You smiled and relaxed against him. His phone dinged on the coffee table. 

“Who is it?” you wondered.

“It’s a text from Gwilym in the group chat,” he said, and you frowned at his expression. 

“What did he say?” you asked.

“He told me to check my DMs on Instagram, but for Rami and Ben not to,” he explained, his brow furrowed. “I wonder what’s going on.”

“Do you mind if I look?” you asked. 

He lowered the phone so you could both see the screen. 

“Is your group chat really called ‘the band’?” you teased. 

“Of course!”

You chuckled together as he opened up his Instagram app. When he checked his messages, the top one was from a weirdly anonymous looking account. The name was just random letters and numbers, and they had sent Joe some photos. He opened it and you felt like everything around you froze. There in his messages were the old photos of you that Nick had. They were vulgar and horrifying to see again. Your body went cold with fear and humiliation. 

“What the fuck…” Joe muttered.

Your stomach lurched. You wanted to speak but were afraid you’d throw up. 

“Oh my God,” you finally managed. 

It came on quickly this time. Your heartbeat was so fast it actually pained your chest. Your hands were immediately numb. You couldn’t breathe. Tears came to your eyes, so large your vision was blurry until you blinked and they slid down your cheeks.

Another text popped up and it was from Ben in the chat. He said he’d already opened the message but closed it right away when he saw what they were and deleted it. Rami said he hadn’t opened it, but Lucy had gotten one too, and she told him to delete it without looking. 

“Joe - uh - please, please, please,” you said. “Don’t look.” You cleared your throat. “Don’t look. I - ahem - I can’t…” you couldn’t form anymore words. 

He promptly got out of the message, swiped it, and hit delete. 

“How could this happen?” he wondered. 

“I - I don’t know,” you said through deep breaths. 

Joe wrapped his arms around you. You were shaking so violently, he had to hold you tight to keep you still. You’d never felt like this. Your chest felt so tight. Like you were having a heart attack or something. You couldn’t believe Joe had seen the pictures. And Ben, Gwilym, and Lucy as well, however briefly. Who else had gotten them? Who had sent them? Nick was supposed to be in jail until the court date next week. 

You phone rang, buzzing loudly on the table. Joe picked it up. He showed you it was Christy. He answered and put it on speaker. 

“Y/N is having a hard time, but she can hear you,” he said. “Did you get the pictures?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I did some research, too. On Nick’s Facebook. He’s out. His mom paid his bail. I’m willing to bet he created a fake account just to send these.”

You and Joe locked eyes. 

“The timing is convenient,” Joe said. “The court date...”

“I know,” Christy agreed. “This is just a tactic to scare you, Y/N. He’s trying to make you back down.”

You had to admit it was working. You never wanted to leave your apartment. You wanted to crawl inside yourself and disappear. You detached yourself from Joe, feeling unworthy of him. He watched you curiously as you trembled on the couch, pulling your knees into your chest. You choked out a sob. 

“I want to die,” you whimpered.


	9. Chapter 9

That night was one you long considered one of the worst of your life. No matter what Joe tried, you couldn’t move past the anxiety and humiliation of what Nick had done. You knew you had to settle your heart rate, but nothing helped. And you couldn’t take anything because most medication wasn’t safe for the baby. Joe just held you as your body heaved with sobs. You stayed awake the whole night, crying and agonizing over where to go from here. When day broke again, you were still an absolute mess.

Joe urged you to go forward pressing charges, and he suggested adding this to the list. But you weren’t sure. You hardly felt like leaving your apartment, much less like confronting the man who’d done this. It was going to take so much of you and you weren’t sure you could handle it. It felt like too much. It was all too big and you were so small. 

“If this happened to our child,” Joe said. “What would you want them to do?”

You had to stop and take another breath. The thought of anyone doing something like this to your baby made you so mad you spit nails, but you considered it. You would want your son or daughter to tell the Nicks in their lives to get fucked, and do everything in their power to put them away. 

“I’d want them to press charges,” you said. “That is if I hadn’t already killed the person responsible.”

He chuckled. “Let’s hope we never face that. I’d miss you if you went to prison.”

You giggled, and finally, your body began to ease. You were backing slowly away from the edge now, Joe at your side, ever the comfort. 

“I really have to do this, huh?” you wondered.

Joe nodded. “You can do it, baby. You’ve already come so far. You faced him at the precinct, and you can face him again. Pictures be damned.”

“I’m really scared,” you admitted. 

“Well, you’re not going alone,” he assured you. “I’ll be there. Christy will be there. And of course little Baby will be with you.”

Your mouth turned upward in a small smile as you looked down at your little bump. “I’m gonna be strong for you, little one.” 

“I love that you talk to him,” Joe said. “I think that’s so sweet.”

“I feel like it makes me a little bit crazy,” you returned. 

“You’re not crazy,” he said. “You’re amazing.”

You knew he was talking about more than just the baby. You leaned into him and you actually started to feel drowsy now that you were calmed down. 

“I feel so lucky,” you said as you closed your eyes. 

“You do?” he questioned.

“To have found you again,” you explained. “That through all of this, I have you.”

“I’m the lucky one,” he replied. “That out of everyone in the world, I found the one girl I never stopped thinking about. And now we’re having a baby together.”

You smiled, unable to ward off sleep any longer. As the sun lit up the room, you and Joe found your rest in each other. 

When you turned up at work on Monday, Don immediately called you into his office. Nervous, you sat down across from him. He looked so serious. Not in his usual way, either. If you didn’t know any better, you would have guessed he was going to tell you that someone died. You waited for him to speak. 

“So, over the weekend, I received some photographs,” he said. 

Your head fell forward as a wave of embarrassment came over you. Taking a deep breath, you told Don everything. He listened carefully, trying to understand the situation. When you finished, you tried to gauge his reaction, but his expression was difficult to read. For a moment, you expected him to dismiss you. You wouldn’t blame him if he did. 

“Y/N,” he began, and you were surprised by the gentleness of his tone. “I’m so sorry this is happening to you. If there is anything I or the company can do to help you through this let me know. Our legal team is excellent, and I’ll speak to them about protections for you.”

You gaped at him, stunned. When Nick did this the first time, your boss fired you immediately. It was why you wrote under a byline now. Now Don - who was usually kind of an asshole - was offering understanding and support. 

“You’re being...awfully gracious about this,” you said. 

“I did a story a few years ago on revenge porn,” he told you. “I saw first hand the effects of it. Now I understand your thing with cameras. I’m sorry for the way I treated you. I won’t ask you to do that again.”

“Don…”

“Don’t thank me or anything,” he said. “Just give him hell in court on Thursday, okay?”

You couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, okay.”

All too soon, the day was upon you. The first court date. Part of you hoped that Nick wouldn’t show up. If it were only up to him, you knew he wouldn’t, but his mother paid his bail, so she would ensure he went so she wouldn’t be stuck with the cost. The prosecutor approached you and went over what you would need to do. It wasn’t much. Just tell your story. It helped that since he’d left jail, he got an armed robbery charge added to his rap sheet, so the indictment would be pretty easy. Joe and Christy squeezed your hands with encouragement.

Your stomach turned, but not in a way you were familiar with. It wasn’t even really your stomach. It was the baby. You gasped at the sensation of it moving around. Joe and Christy exchanged worried glances.

“Joe, feel,” you said, putting his hand there. You applied some pressure.

“Holy shit” he gasped. “The baby’s already moving?”

You nodded. “I’ve never felt it before…”

He laughed with joy and it took all your willpower not to kiss him. But the moment was stolen when the prosecutor called you inside.

It went like the prosecutor said. It took a couple hours and was mostly waiting. But he secured the indictment and there would be another court date in the fall unless Nick took a plea bargain. He didn’t seem interested in that, but for now, he was returning to jail to wait. You felt a little safer. Thankfully, throughout the process, he didn’t try to talk to you. He acted like you weren’t even in the room. You were grateful. You still had nightmares about the way he screamed at you that day, and the cold shoulder was preferred. He did shoot Christy a few glares across the room though. She very subtly flipped him off.

When it was over, you felt a little better, but you didn’t look forward to going through this again and in front of a jury. For now though, you could relax. The weight was lifted for the moment. 

“I’m proud of you,” Joe said, kissing your cheek as you walked out of the courthouse.

“It’s just the first step,” you replied. “I feel like there’s still all this way to go.”

“But you did it,” Christy said. “I’m going to meet my sweetie for some food. You guys wanna join us?”

You shook your head. “I’m exhausted. I just want to go home.”

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”

She gave you and Joe hugs as she said goodbye. Then she bent down to speak to your tummy.

“Bye, Baby!” she cooed.

With a final wave, she walked to her waiting Uber. You and Joe made your way to your car. He held your door open and then got in the driver’s seat. You sighed. You were ready to sleep, even though it was early evening.

“We have one stop I wanna make before going back to your place,” Joe said.

“Where’s that?” you wondered.

“Our house,” he told you. “I got the keys while you were at work yesterday.”

“Really?” you gasped. “It’s ready?”

He nodded. “Pretty much. I know we have a lot of time since your lease isn’t up until August, but I want you to see it.”

You smiled lazily. “I want to see it. Take my mind off of all of this.”

He took your hand he drove out there. You didn’t talk for most of the ride because you were so tired. You closed your eyes, the city disappearing behind your lids, and dozed. Joe woke you when he pulled into the little driveway of your house. It was a beautiful brick residence, with a white front door and a cast iron railing going up the porch steps. 

“I love it,” you said.

He chuckled. “You haven’t even seen the best part.”

He helped you out of the car and together you walked inside. The inside was equally stunning. Hard wood floors gleamed in the light. The kitchen counters - which were granite - sparkled and shined. The windows were large, so plenty of natural light got into each room. He took you upstairs and showed you the master bedroom, which was a great size. It had two more bedrooms of smaller sizes, but were also charming.

“I figured those could be the kids’ rooms,” he said as he led you around.

“Kids?” you questioned. “Plural?”

“Well, we’re gonna have more, right?” he said. 

“I guess so,” you returned playfully. “But let’s focus on the first one.”

“I am!” he insisted. “I just...I dunno, I think about our future a lot.”

“How many do you want?” you asked.

“Two would be perfect,” he told you. “A boy and a girl. And we’d have a dog too - a golden retriever since they’re so gentle, y’know? This place is great since there’s a small yard, but there’s also a park down the road. There’s a spare room downstairs I figured could be a guest room for when the grandparents or Christy visit.”

You giggled. As you looked around the house, you saw it too. The life you could build with Joe. In this house. It all came together around you. You imagined the family photos on the walls. How it might look decorated for Christmas. The kids running down the hall, laughing. 

“Joe, it’s perfect,” you said. 

“Think about this,” he told you. “When you’re feeling overwhelmed. Remember what you’re picturing now, and focus on that.” He cradled your face in his hands and kissed your forehead. 

“I love you so much,” you whispered. 

“I love you too,” he returned holding you close now.

You stood in the second floor hallway, holding each other. This ordeal with Nick was a passing thing. Joe, and everything he had given you, that was forever. You would hold on to that.

Summer pressed on, and your belly grew even more. Joe left two more times in the five weeks before the doctor’s appointment where you would find out the sex of the baby. He promised he would be there for that. In the meantime, you began packing up your apartment. Christy was supportive, and told you that she and her boyfriend were discussing living together, so the timing was actually perfect. She did say she would come over plenty to see the baby. It was the end of an era for you both, but you were excited for the new things in each other’s lives.

You also worked on taking pictures of yourself. You really liked Snapchat because the pictures were deleted after opening and that made you more comfortable. Although, Joe frequently got screenshots of your silliest faces. You got him back, but his Snapchats were so often hilarious, you had to stop or you’d run out of space on your phone.

You were also monitoring your growth each week. You took those pictures just for you, but you showed them to Joe when he was in town. He was astounded by it, even though the changes were minimal right now. He also made sure to tell you how beautiful he found you.

Finally, twenty weeks came. You were so ready to discover the sex, although you guessed it was a boy. Christy thought it was a girl. Joe said he hoped it was a boy, but only because you already had a name picked out for a boy, and neither of you could decide on girl names. The problem was that there were too many that you loved.

As usual, you watched the screen and this time it looked more like a baby, especially in profile. Looking straight on was a different sight, for sure. Still, you were excited. You squeezed Joe’s hand in anticipation.

“Would you like to know the sex?” Dr. Jones asked.

“Yes, please!” you and Joe said together.

She chuckled. “It’s a boy.”

You and Joe beamed at each other. You started laughing, overcome with joy.

“A boy,” you sighed, still taking it in. “I knew it.”

“Congratulations,” Dr. Jones said as Joe kissed you swiftly on the lips. She glanced at your chart again and her smile faltered. 

“What is it?” you asked. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s not something to worry too much about,” she said. “But your blood pressure is higher than normal. Blood pressure does rise during pregnancy, but this is above average. Are you experiencing any unusual stress?”

You and Joe exchanged an almost amused look. Where could you even begin? 

“Well, I just had to press charges against my ex-boyfriend,” you said. “There’s another court date coming up in October. The father of my child is in and out of town. I’m moving in less than a month. On top of all of that, I’m still working and carrying a baby.”

“That is a lot,” she said seriously. “I need you to find ways to destress because high blood pressure can lead to problems during delivery. You can take baby aspirin to help, but don’t rely too much on that.”

“What can I do to destress?” you wondered.

“That’s up to you,” she replied. “If you need to do a face mask and take a bath every night then do so. Are you two still having sex regularly?”

“Oh, yeah,” Joe said.

“That’s good,” she said with a smile. “Sex can relieve a lot of stress as long as both partners reach orgasm. But on the days when he’s not there, you’ll still need to make an effort to keep yourself calm.”

“She struggles with anxiety,” he added.

“Joe!” you hissed.

“It’s important that she knows,” he insisted.

“He’s right,” Dr. Jones agreed. “I see you’re not taking anything for it, and I recommend that you don’t right now. What do you usually do to get through an anxiety attack?”

“Joe shows me stupid YouTube videos,” you explained.

“Then watch stupid YouTube videos as well,” she said. “Whatever reminds you that the problems you’re facing aren’t nearly as big as your brain is telling you they are.”

“Okay, we can do that,” you assured her.

“Now, I don’t want to add to your stress, but I’m going on a trip for a few months,” she said. “I’m going to be in Kenya until January, teaching and helping out in their hospitals. I’ve gotten another doctor, Dr. Chris Barrow, to cover my patients. He’s in surgery today, but he’ll meet you for your next appointment. Are you okay with having a man as your doctor?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” you said. “I think it’s amazing what you’re doing. Will you be back for the delivery?”

She nodded. “Yes. Dr. Barrow will assist me for your delivery. So, the next time I see you, we will all be meeting your son.”

You squealed with delight. “Thank you so much!”

“Really,” Joe agreed, shaking her hand. “We’re so excited.”

“I’m excited too,” she said. “Be careful, and be sure to stay relaxed! If you need anything that Dr. Barrow can’t get you, I’ll have email.”

You thanked her again before you left. When you got outside you looked at Joe.

“We’re having a son!” you cried, throwing your arms around his neck. 

“I know!” he shouted, spinning you around. “A beautiful baby boy!”

“Joseph Francis Mazzello IV,” you said, rubbing a hand down your belly. “I can’t wait to meet you.”


	10. Chapter 10

Joe got his castmates on skype to tell them the big news. Rami, Gwilym, and Lucy were in Chicago. Allen was in London. Ben was in Los Angeles. But all of them knew that it was the day, and they had already arranged a time for Joe to call when they could all answer. You and Joe were on your laptop at your apartment, grinning like crazy at each other and at your friends. They looked eagerly at the two of you.

“So,” said Rami. “Boy or girl?”

You and Joe looked at each other and then back at them. 

“It’s a boy!” you cried in unison.

They all clapped and shouted their congratulations. You held up the latest sonogram and they absolutely fawned over it.

“He’s beautiful!” Lucy cooed.

“What are you gonna call him?” asked Ben.

“I thought I told you,” said Joe. “Joseph Francis Mazzello IV.”

“I mean, yeah, but you’re already Joe,” Ben said. “What’s his nickname gonna be?”

“Joey?” Gwilym guessed.

“I call him Joey,” you said, pointing to Joe.

“We could both be Joey,” Joe said. 

“That might get confusing,” Allen added.

“Whatever we call him will come naturally, I think,” you said. “He might even tell us what he wants to be called.”

“That’s true,” Joe said. 

You chatted with them for a little longer, and they caught you and Joe up on what was going on in their lives. It was nice to hear from them all. The only one you hadn’t met in person was Allen, but he was very nice. When they all had to go, you hung up. You sighed and looked at Joe, happier than you had been in a long time.

“So, what would you say to a round of destressing?” he teased, leaning over to kiss you.

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” you returned, smirking.

“It’s just doctor’s orders,” he said.

“Well, I can’t very well say no to that,” you said, kissing him again. 

Giggling, you made your way to the bedroom to celebrate.

The following weeks were mostly focused on the move. You and Joe hired movers since you were well into your second trimester and it wasn’t safe for you to lift anything. It made you feel incredibly useless throughout the process. Joe insisted you were carrying the most precious piece of your home, and therefore had no obligation to move furniture or boxes.

On the official moving day, which ended up being late September, you spent time with Christy while Joe oversaw the moving process. It was nice to get quality time with her and celebrate your friendship together before you both took steps you knew meant less time for each other. Several times throughout the day, you got a little emotional thinking about it. As much as you loved Joe, you were going to miss Christy dearly. You were walking together in Central Park when you had to stop and rest. 

“Sorry,” you said as you took a seat on a bench. “I’m feeling a little nauseous.”

“Ice cream didn’t agree with little Joey?” she wondered.

You shook your head. “I dunno. I’m still having a lot of nausea. Not as much as the first trimester, but enough to be annoyed.”

“Is that normal?” she asked.

“I have no idea,” you said with a shrug. “Pregnancy is so fucking weird I figure there’s no ‘normal’ way, y’know?”

“I guess that’s fair,” she chuckled.

“According to Google I shouldn’t worry,” you said. “It’s probably just that my hormones are going crazy right now.”

“It just sucks you can’t take anything,” she said. 

“Yeah,” you agreed. “I get headaches a lot too, so it’s doubly awful.”

“God, I’m never getting pregnant,” she joked.

“Never say never,” you returned. “Don’t forget we weren’t trying for Joey here.”

She laughed. “I’m gonna be super careful to not get pregnant,” she corrected. 

When you were feeling better, you began walking again. You told her about all the things you and Joe had done to prepare the house and what you’d gotten for the nursery. She was honestly thrilled for you and couldn’t wait to see it.

Joe picked you up from the park, looking sweaty and exhausted from a whole day of moving. After saying goodbye to Christy, you slid into the passenger seat, cradling your belly in one hand as you settled in. Joe kissed your cheek.

“You look sexy,” you joked, wiping his hair off his soaked forehead.

He smiled. “The house is almost done. We just need to unpack clothes, but I’ve got stuff for us to wear tonight.”

“Okay, we can take care of that tomorrow,” you said. “I can’t wait to see it.”

It looked much like you had imagined it would over the weeks. You and Joe had picked out everything together, and it really felt like yours. This was the Mazzello home. Joe wrapped an arm around your shoulders as you walked through it together. There were boxes of clothes, and some kitchen things that needed to be put away, but that was all part of moving. 

“Welcome home,” Joe said. 

You grinned. “It’s perfect.”

That evening, after you and Joe ordered a pizza and had that for dinner, you settled into bed pretty early. For the first night in many, you didn’t make love because he was so tired. You didn’t push because your stomach still felt a little queasy and you didn’t feel super sexy. Just as you leaned back against your pillows and cracked open a book, your phone rang.

“Who’s that?” Joe mumbled beside you, half asleep already.

“It’s Christy,” you said, and picked up. “Hey, sweetie. What’s up?”

“I just got our mail,” she said. “You’ve got a letter from Nick.”

“What?” you gasped. “Can you bring it over? We’re already in bed.”

She scoffed. “Really? You leave our apartment for one day and you’re already a grandmother?”

“We’re lame and tired,” you returned, trying to joke but worry was too strong in your heart. “Can you just bring it?”

“Yeah,” she agreed, and hung up. You knew she was already on the way.

“What’s up?” Joe asked.

“Nothing, baby,” you assured him, kissing his cheek. “Go to sleep. I just left a few things at the apartment.”

He muttered something else, but you didn’t really take it in. You got up, put on sweatpants and went downstairs to wait for Christy. The fifteen minute trip felt like hours when she was bringing you word from Nick. You hoped this meant he was ready to take a plea bargain and you wouldn’t have to go to court again.

When she arrived, you opened the door before she could knock. She had the letter and a few other things for you, but you just tossed them on the counter as you turned the kitchen light on. You eagerly ripped the letter open and pulled it out, your eyes frantically scanning the page. Your mouth fell open at what you read.

“What?” Christy asked. “What did he say?”

“What did who say?” Joe added as he came into the room. “What’s going on?”

“Nick wrote me from jail,” you told him.

“Why’d you say it was nothing?” he demanded.

“I wanted you to rest!” you insisted. “Why are you up?”

“I don’t sleep well without you next to me,” he said.

You didn’t have time to admire that sentiment. Christy let out a frustrated groan.

“You two are adorable, but we don’t have time for this!” she cried. “Y/N, what did Nick say?”

They both had curious eyes on you as you read the words on the page once more, cementing their reality in your head.

“He wants to see me,” you told them. “He says he’ll take the plea bargain but only if I come and talk to him. But he doesn’t say what it’s about.”

“This feels slimy,” Christy said. “Like a trap.”

“He can’t hurt me,” you said. “It’s all supervised.”

“Y/N, are seriously considering going?” Joe questioned.

“Of course,” you said. “If I can end this sooner, I want to take the opportunity.”

“But if you can get him in court -” Christy began but you cut her off.

“We don’t know that for sure,” you said. “And the court date sucks because Joe’s gonna be in London for the BoRhap premiere and you’re going to be in Florida with your boyfriend. I’d have to go alone.”

“What if he’s lying?” Joe asked. “I’m with Christy, I think he just wants to try and intimidate you again.”

“Well, so what if it is?” you said. “Then we’ll go about it the original plan. I don’t see what harm it can do.”

“It could cause you more stress, and the doctor said to do things that do the opposite of that,” he reminded you. 

“It could also relieve the stress,” you argued. “Because then I won’t be so scared about going alone to court.”

“Why do you want to go so bad?” he questioned. 

“All the reasons I’ve just said!” you returned. “Aren’t you listening to me?”

“I just don’t understand why you’re giving him the satisfaction,” he said, heaving a sigh. “This puts all the power in his hands.”

“It’s not about having power, it’s about finishing this,” you said. “I want to move on from him, and the sooner the better. A whole month before the court date.”

“Y/N, you can’t do this,” he said. “I’m gonna have to put my foot down.”

Your mouth fell open and you blinked at him for several moments. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

“Oh my God, run, Joe,” Christy muttered to him. 

“I said I’m putting my foot down,” he repeated. “No.”

“You know if you’re gonna keep speaking to me like that, you might as well get me a chew toy,” you spat. 

“I didn’t mean -”

You cut across him. “Oh, didn’t you? Because that’s how you talk to dogs and badly behaved children, but definitely not your girlfriend who is five months pregnant with your child.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking down.

“Apology accepted,” you said. “I love you and value your opinion, Joe, and you don’t always have to agree with me. But you will treat me with some goddamn respect.”

“Jesus, Y/N, use a dick,” Christy breathed. 

“You’re right,” he conceded, ignoring your friend. “Again, I’m sorry. It’s been a long day, and I just worry about you. That’s all.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” you said with a sigh. “I’m going to see Nick. And you can come with me or not, but I’m going.”

“I’ll come with you,” he said. “Doesn’t mean I think it’s right, but I don’t want you to go alone.”

When you had everything arranged to go and see Nick, you found yourself more nervous than you thought you’d be. You tried to think of what you could say to him, but Joe and Christy advised waiting until hearing what he had to say before forming any ideas. Not having anything prepared though made you feel anxious. 

The jail he was being held in also made you nervous. The officers there were stern and intimidating, but you figured they had to be with the job they had. You would see Nick in a common area that reminded you of a school cafeteria, but a lot scarier. Nick looked rather pathetic is in uniform, and he’d clearly not gotten any drugs either. His recent bout with withdrawal was written all over his face. 

Joe held your hand tightly as you took a deep breath. Nick would also now know that you were pregnant. You’d been careful during the first court date to wear loose clothes and hide your bump. It helped that he hadn’t looked very hard at you. You saw his eyes go wide when he noticed it now. You placed your hand on your bump as you took a seat across from him. Joe remained standing, keeping a hand on your shoulder as he glowered at Nick. 

“So,” you said. “What do you want to say?”

“First of all, I want to say I’m sorry, Y/N,” he began. “I’m really sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you.”

“Okay,” you said, your voice stony. “You tried to say that before you broke my phone and wrecked my apartment. You’re gonna have to do better, Nick.”

“I don’t know what came over me there,” he said.

“I do,” you remarked.

“Please, let me finish,” he said, and you got quiet. “I don’t know what came over me. I truly didn’t go there with the intention of hurting you or begging for you back. I went there to ask you for money, and I lied to try and get it from you, I know. I don’t know why you having a boyfriend upset me so much.” 

“Did you think there was still hope for us?” you asked.

He looked down at his hands. “Maybe a little. I always thought if I got clean...you might...”

“Forgive you for selling naked photos of me?” you wondered in disbelief. “How could I ever get past that?”

“You’re right, it was stupid,” he admitted. “But I couldn’t help but hold out hope, y’know?”

“This is getting off track,” you said. “Is there anything else you wanted?”

“I just want to know that you forgive me,” he told you. “It’s the only way I’ll be able to face a year in prison.”

You completely hardened as you glared at him. “You wanna know what I faced because of what you did? I was a prisoner in my own head, fearing every fucking camera I came into contact with. I was afraid for my job, for my reputation. I lost friends and family. It affected my relationship with Joe. And then you sent them to him and his friends and God knows who else! I had to start over all the progress I’d made on moving past it! And you want my forgiveness so that you can go to prison and feel okay?”

He sputtered for words.

“I forgive you, Nick,” you said, and he looked at you, wide-eyed. “But not for your sake. I’m forgiving you so I can move on with my own life and focus on this.” You placed your hand on your belly again. “He’s my life now. I’m looking forward, because I can’t look at you anymore.”

Tears welled up in your eyes and your head started to pound. You winced with pain and Joe knelt closer to you.

“You okay?” he asked.

You nodded. “I think so. I’m ready to go now.”

You both looked at Nick and then you spoke again. “Is there anything else? Are you ready to take the plea deal?”

“Yeah,” he said simply. “Just one more thing.”

You looked expectantly at him. He nodded toward your baby bump.

“If I had never gotten into the drugs, do you think that could have been us?”

“No,” you said simply. “It was always going to be me and Joe.”

He nodded, resigned, and you told the guard you were ready. You could feel Nick’s eyes on you as you left, willing you to turn around for one last meaningful look, but you didn’t give it to him. You were ending this on your terms. And that meant turning your back to him forever and pressing on with Joe and your son. 

When you exited the prison, you felt so free. Joe looked hard at you. You’d gotten a little emotional inside, but that was gone now. Relief washed over you like a wave. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he wondered.

“Yeah,” you said, taking his hand as you made your back to your car. You stopped him before you got in, turning him to face you.

“I meant what I said in there,” you said. “It’s me and you now, okay? And little Joey. I’m not worried about anyone from the past. Not when I’ve got you two.”

He kissed you, his hands coming up to cradle your face as his lips claimed yours. This kiss sealed it.

“No more looking back,” he agreed. “I love you, Y/N. I’m sorry I gave you a hard time about this.”

“I love you too,” you said. “And don’t worry about it. I understand why, and it makes me love you even more. You still supported me through it. Thank you, Joe.”

“You feel good about everything?” he asked.

“I do,” you assured him. “It feels like closure.”

He pulled you into a hug. “Good.”

You broke away and you both climbed into the car. 

“You know what this means?” you said eagerly as he started to drive back to the house.

“No, what?” he wondered.

“We can just be excited about the premiere of Bohemian Rhapsody!” you squealed. “Yay!”

He laughed. “And then Joey’s gonna get here!” 

“I know!” you cried. “We’ve got so much to look forward to!”


	11. Chapter 11

You were free of Nick, but you could not force yourself out of your anxiety about cameras. You were doing so much better now. You were at a point where Joe - but only Joe - could take your photo. After you got your closure with Nick, you allowed him to post one of you onto his Instagram. It made you nervous, and you wondered if people might discover your old shame, but you pushed that all away. Joe posted a photo of you, holding your little bump right after he’d made you laugh. It was a great shot.

That was something that helped. When Joe made you laugh, you were immediately relaxed, almost unaware that he was taking a picture at all. He knew just how to make you comfortable enough to get an amazing one of you. Even you couldn’t deny they looked good.

His captions melted your heart as well. The first photo he put up that included your face read: “This is my beautiful girlfriend. She’s amazingly brave, talented, and smart. She’s also giving me the greatest joy of my life. Y/N, I love you. I can’t wait to see our son grow up guided by the greatest mother in the world.” It got you choked up.

Everything would have been perfect if it hadn’t been for your pregnancy making you feel sick and tired all the time. Your headaches were pretty intense, and you still had nausea. You also had swelling around your ankles that you were positive couldn’t be normal. You had a doctor’s appointment before you would leave for Los Angeles, and you made a note to tell Dr. Barrow your concerns. Joe wouldn’t be going with you because he’d be in London for the UK premiere of BoRhap. You promised to send him a picture, though.

You weren’t sure you liked Dr. Barrow much. When you told him about what you were going through, he insisted it was normal pregnancy stuff. He seemed a bit uninterested and overwhelmed by the fact that he also had Dr. Jones’s patients. You felt completely dismissed and unheard.

“Dr. Barrow,” you said. “I don’t think you understand. These headaches are splitting -”

“They’re always ‘splitting’ to you ladies, aren’t they?” he returned with a tired wave of his hand. “I assure you, what you’re going through is normal.”

You frowned. “And it’s still okay for me to drive all the way to LA?”

He nodded. “Of course. As long as you get plenty of rest and continue to take your prenatal vitamins, you and your baby will be fine.”

You felt a little uneasy about him, but took his word that you’d be fine. That afternoon, when you told Joe about it over FaceTime, he seemed concerned, but unsure how to handle it.

“I guess we have to trust him,” he said. “He’s the professional.”

You shrugged. “I suppose so. Hey, do you want to see the picture?”

“Of course!”

You held up the sonogram. “Behold, my love, your child.”

He chuckled. “Aw, he’s amazing! I miss you two.”

“We miss you too,” you replied. “But I’m sure you’re having loads of fun in London.”

He began excitedly telling you what he and  the guys had been up to. You smiled and listened carefully, laughing a few times. Your hand rested limply on your baby bump, phone dangling from the pop socket. All of a sudden, Joey gave a mighty kick, knocking your phone right out of your hand and it slid onto the bed.

“Joey!” you gasped, poking him gently. “That was rude!”

“Baby?” Joe’s voice came from somewhere in the covers. “What just happened?”

You picked up your phone and held it properly. “Your son just kicked the phone out of my hand.”

He laughed. “Wow, he’s a strong boy.”

“This is hardly congratulatory behavior,” you returned. 

“Is he still moving?” he asked. “I wanna see.”

You lowered phone to your protruding belly, and focused the camera so he could see Joey’s little feet popping up. Joe gasped.

“It only gets more awesome every time I see it!” he said. 

“Do you miss your daddy, Joey?” you cooed to your belly. “I miss him too.”

“I’ll be home soon,” he said as you brought the phone up to your face again. “Just one more day and then I’ll be on a plane.”

Shortly after, you said goodnight and tried to get some sleep. It felt awfully lonely in the house by yourself, but you took comfort in the fact that Joe would be home soon. Then you would start your first family road trip. 

You followed the premiere coverage from your desk at work. Several people were watching, since you worked in entertainment. Emily sat with you, shaking her head in amazement. 

“I can’t believe you’re going to the one in LA,” she said. “It looks so glamorous.”

“Or terrifying,” you said with a gulp. 

You could see all the cameras and flashing lights as Joe and the rest walked down the carpet and into the theater. Your heart gave a nervous flutter.

“Oh, Joe’s talking,” she said. “Turn it up.”

You did so and you caught that the reporter was asking about you and the baby.

“Yeah, Y/N is doing great and so is the baby,” he said, beaming. “I’m so excited, I feel like I have so many blessings right now. Between this film and having a family, I just...I can hardly believe I’m so lucky.”

“How did you meet Y/N?” the reporter asked.

“We actually knew each other as kids!” Joe told her. “Fourth grade. We were friends and then she moved away, but we found each other again through work.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” the reporter said.

“Right?” Joe agreed. “Where’s our Hallmark movie?”

She laughed. “So, are you two hearing wedding bells?”

“We’ve talked about it, and we know we want to commit to each other,” he said. “No plans to bite that bullet just yet though. We’re focused on getting the baby here.”

“That’s a good thing to focus on,” she said. “Thanks for talking with us, Joe. And congratulations!” 

“Thank you!” he returned and walked over to the next camera.

Emily sighed. “The way he talks about you is so sweet. I mean, his eyes just light right up. That must be so nice.”

You smiled. “It’s wonderful. He’s wonderful.” 

Forty-eight hours went by, and before you knew it, you and Joe were on the road, heading west to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t be able to stop and sight see because you were on a tight schedule to make it there in time for the premiere. Even so, Joe made it fun. He told you a bit about LA, since you’d never been before. Nervous as you were about the premiere, you were excited to be there with Joe.

The night of the premiere came. You and Joe were staying with Rami and Lucy. You honestly considered pretending to be ill to get out of it. You were so nervous, your body shook. Lucy had to help you into your dress and do your hair because you were just unable.

“Y/N, if you can’t do this, you don’t have to go,” Lucy said gently as she laid a curl across your shoulder. “Joe will understand.”

“No, I promised him I would,” you insisted. “Besides, like Joe always tells me, I can do anything.”

She smiled. “You two are adorable.”

“How do you do this, Lucy?” you asked. “What a good trick to keep in mind?”

“Focus on one thing at a time instead of the big picture,” she advised. “That way it doesn’t seem like so much. Stick close to Joe, and you’ll be alright.”

You nodded.

When you met Joe and Rami downstairs, they both gaped at the two of you. 

“You look wonderful,” Rami said to his girlfriend. “You both do.”

“Lucy looks wonderful,” you returned playfully. “I look like a planet.”

“Hey, that’s my girlfriend you’re talking about,” Joe said, feigning offense. 

You all chuckled.

“You look beautiful, baby,” he said seriously, kissing you on the cheek. “I love you.”

The four of you headed out to the awaiting limo to take you to the theater and the premiere. You felt so on edge that even a bump in the road made you grip Joe’s hand tighter. You hadn’t gotten to try having other people take photos and videos of you, and you were unsure if you could handle it.

“Fuck, I wish I could drink,” you said under your breath.

Joe laughed. “I wish you could too. I’m pretty sure you’re breaking my fingers.” 

“Imagine what it’ll be like during childbirth,” Rami joked.

“Oh please, childbirth isn’t nearly as bad as they make it out to be in movies,” you said.

“You’re not scared, Y/N?” Lucy wondered.

You looked at her and shrugged. “Not really, no. My body is made to do it. And with an epidural, I won’t feel much besides pressure.”

She looked impressed. You gave Joe’s hand another nervous squeeze.

“I’m gonna check your pulse,” he said. “You still have feeling in your fingers?”

You nodded. “So far.”

“That’s good,” he said gently. He pressed his fingers to your neck. “Definitely got a quick pulse, but you’re doing so well, baby. I’m so proud of you.”

“I hope you’re not speaking too soon,” you muttered.

“I’m not,” he told you. “We’ve arrived.”

The car came to a stop. You sucked in a breath and looked wildly at him.

“You guys go,” he said to Rami and Lucy. “We’re right behind you.”

They shuffled out of the car. Joe took your face in his hands and held your gaze fiercely.

“I love you, Y/N,” he said. “Everyone here loves you. You got this. Stay with me.”

You nodded. He placed a swift peck on your lips. He moved so he could exit the car first. When he opened the door, you gulped. He stepped out, and you briefly considered telling the driver to go and take you with him. But you would not abandon Joe. Carefully, you scooted to the door, sticking one foot out and letting it hit the carpet. You reached out your hand, and Joe’s found it. You held your swollen belly and Joe practically lifted you out of the car. 

The roar was deafening. The cameras clicked, reporters shouted questions, and music blasted from somewhere else. You held Joe’s arm and took a deep breath. The car pulled away as you stepped forward and you were forced to resign yourself to it. 

You glanced at the cameras and felt your stomach drop. Joe’s arm secured you around your waist and you met his eyes.

“Stay with me,” he said again, and kissed your temple.

You let him lead you down the carpet closer to the cameras. Joe walked up to the first reporter, who was from the LA office of Everything Entertainment. You beamed at his consideration. He thought that if you knew the company you were talking to, you might feel more comfortable. 

“We’ve been dying to see your beautiful baby mama up close, Joe,” the reporter said before grinning at you. “You look stunning.”

“Th-thank you,” you managed.

“How far along are you?” she asked.

“Just over six months,” you replied. 

“Really?” she gasped. “You seriously look great to be six months pregnant. When’s the due date?”

“February 20th,” Joe answered. 

“You guys excited?”

“We’re positively giddy,” he said. 

The next few interviews went similarly. You found yourself relaxing more and more each minute. Everyone told you how great you looked, and you let yourself believe them. The security of having Joe beside you made you feel at home. Then, you saw two people who made your heart skip a beat: Brian May and Roger Taylor. You slapped Joe’s arm with excitement.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Holy shit,” you breathed, nodding your head toward them.

“Oh, yeah, let’s go say hi,” he said, grabbing your hand and taking you over. 

They were talking to the rest of the cast already so you were grateful you could blend in. Joe clearly wasn’t letting that happen.

“Bri, Rog,” he said. “This is Y/N Y/L/N. My wonderful girlfriend who is having my baby.”

They both shook your hand and smiled kindly at you. You opened your mouth to say hello, but at that moment, little Joey kicked out once more. You gasped and clutched it.

“You alright?” Joe asked.

“He’s kicking,” you returned. “I guess he wants to say hello too. You guys wanna feel?”

They both agreed and placed their hands softly on your belly. You could hardly believe the founding members of Queen were gushing over your baby bump. They also told you you looked beautiful. 

“A little boy, yeah?” asked Roger

You nodded. “Little Joey!”

“Very sweet,” said Brian. “Congratulations, to both of you.”

He hugged you and kissed your cheeks. Roger followed suit. Now you really thought you might faint. 

Ben came bounding over to you suddenly. He embraced Roger first, then Brian, and then he practically tackled Joe, kissing his neck. Joe laughed, clapping Ben on the back as they swayed together for a moment. 

“I missed you, mate,” Ben said.

“It’s been like five days,” Joe returned. “But that is five days too long, huh?”

Ben nodded and then came over to you. He grinned and rubbed your belly as he hugged you.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said. 

“Hi, Ben,” you returned. 

“You feeling alright?” he wondered.

You smiled and nodded. Gwilym came over next and greeted you just as warmly, though without nearly knocking Joe off his feet. He also kissed your cheek.

“Hi, Y/N,” he said. “You look so lovely. How’s the baby?”

“He’s fantastic,” you said. “Thank you for asking.”

Allen approached next, extending his hand politely before introducing himself. “It’s great to finally meet you in person!”

“You too!” you agreed. 

When Rami and Lucy joined, the photographers started yelling, desperate for a shot of everyone together with Brian and Roger. You started to back out of the frame, but Joe and Ben each took one of your arms and forced you back in. You giggled and accepted it. You truly didn’t think this night could get any better.

The movie was fantastic. You were a sobbing mess by the end of it, because they told the story well, and you were so incredibly proud of these people who had become your friends. You felt it was a great success. 

The afterparty was also so fun. Originally, you had planned to go back to Rami and Lucy’s, but Joe insisted on going to the afterparty. He said it was going to be great and you needed to be there. Rolling your eyes, you indulged him, but you really did end up having a great time. They got Queen karaoke going, and Joe was perhaps the most enthusiastic of everyone. 

“If I could have everyone’s attention for a second,” Joe said, when  the party was in full swing. “I have a little dedication I’d like to make to my beautiful girlfriend, Y/N. This song is called Misfire and it’s written by John Deacon.” 

Everyone laughed, including you, but the music didn’t start. 

“I’m kidding,” he said. “I’m not singing Misfire. But, Y/N, if you could join me up here.”

Rami helped you to your feet and onto the stage. Your heart was beating wildly as you felt the room of eyes on you. You turned to Joe, holding his gaze.

“Y/N,” he said, and you saw tears begin to form in his brown eyes. “This is a really special night, for a few reasons. First is the release of our wonderful film, Bohemian Rhapsody. Second is...well...I love you so much. More than I ever thought I could love a person. And you’re giving me something that I can never even hope to repay you for. Our son.”

“Joe…” you sighed, choking up.

“Hold on, I’m not finished,” he said. “I knew from the minute I met you - back in fourth grade - that no matter what happened, we’d be together. It was just a physical law of the universe. The years and geography kept us apart, but we’ve certainly done a lot of catching up since then.” The crowd chuckled. “I don’t want to waste any more time.” 

He sank to one knee and your heart leapt to your throat. He pulled a ring from his pocket and held it out to you as you - and everyone else - gasped. The ring was beautiful. The stone was not a diamond, but a pearl. It was unique, like you and Joe, and your story.

“Y/N,” he began again. “Will you marry me?” 

You could barely form words. Your brain buzzed with elation. Slowly, you nodded, tears falling from your eyes.

“Yes!” you finally choked out and he slipped the ring on your finger. “Oh my God, Joe, yes!”

He leapt to his feet and pulled you in for the kiss of a lifetime. This kiss was the seal of your promise to each other. The people around you erupted into applause. Ben whistled loudly. You and Joe came down the steps together, immediately getting hugs and kisses from your friends. But nothing else mattered when you locked eyes with Joe again. He was it for you. Your whole future. Your whole heart. Everything was just you and Joe.


	12. Chapter 12

You and Joe returned to New York, where the cold was a shock after the warmth of California. You were happy to be back in your house, which you decorated for the holiday season. You spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with the Mazzello’s. They adored you, and the feeling was mutual. They were so sweet and welcoming and incredibly excited for you and Joe. 

His mother was an actual angel, who just doted on you. She was thrilled you liked the ring, since it was inherited from her mother. She told you the rich family history of it, and it made you all the more honored to wear it. Although, you told her it was getting rather tight around your swelling fingers, so she gifted you a gold chain to wear it around until after the baby was born. You thanked her over and over again. She helped you put it on and told you how beautiful you looked. You thought you might die of happiness. 

They did take a few moments to grieve Joe’s father. You felt a bit like an outsider then, since you never knew him. You’d met him briefly when he came to pick Joe up from school back in those days, but you never knew him well enough to mourn. You started to excuse yourself, but Joe took your hand, holding you close to him, needing you.

When you got home, it was after New Year’s. Your belly was becoming a nuisance to you now that it was too round to bend over or turn around in a narrow hallway. It made you thankful you were no longer in your apartment. That space was much too small. Joe was still travelling since Bohemian Rhapsody was nominated for so many awards. But he would be with you the entire month of February. You told him that was fine, but he had to go to the Oscars. The baby would be a newborn, but it was something you insisted he couldn’t miss. 

February began and you and Joe were so excited you could hardly talk about anything other than the baby’s arrival. Dr. Jones was finally back from Kenya, which you were incredibly thankful for because Dr. Barrow was just so rude. You wouldn’t actually see her until your delivery though. Until then, you and Joe were putting together Joey’s nursery. 

“Baby, do you want to do anything for Valentine’s Day?” he asked as you handed him the next part he needed for the crib.

“Huh,” you said, thinking. “I forgot about Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s just that it’s our first one together and I was wondering if you wanted it to be special,” he pointed out. 

“Honestly, Joe, Valentine’s has never meant very much to me,” you explained. “The restaurants are crowded, people are annoyingly in love, other people’s feelings get hurt. It’s always seemed a little silly to me.”

He shrugged. “Alright, then, we won’t make a big deal out of it.”

“Please don’t say that now and plan a big surprise for me,” you said. “Really, I mean it. It’s not a big deal. Plus it’s less than a week from Joey’s due date and I don’t wanna go into labor or something if we’re in public.”

He chuckled, leaning over and kissing your forehead. “Alright then. No Valentine’s plans. Although, Ben’s gonna be in town by then. Rami and Lucy will be here too.”

“Honey, I’m sure Ben will be your Valentine if you ask him nicely,” you teased.

“He’d be lucky to have me,” he returned with a smirk. “But since Rami and Lucy will probably be together, maybe we could have Ben here and tell him the good news.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea!” you agreed.

You and Joe had talked a lot about Joey’s godparents. You had already named Christy the godmother, and she was honored to accept. Joe, however, had a difficult time deciding on a godfather. In the end, he chose Ben. It surprised you, but you supported him one hundred percent. 

“What about Gwilym?” you asked. 

“He’s flying in on the fifteenth early in the morning,” he said.

“Well, alright, we can have Valentines with just us and Ben,” you said. “That’ll be fun.”

A couple weeks went by, and it was the holiday of love or bitterness. Ben agreed to come over to you and Joe’s for dinner and stay with you two in the guest room. He loved the house and the nursery. 

“Really, you guys have done an incredible job,” he praised. “It’s so...you guys.”

“Thanks, man,” Joe returned. “Y/N, is dinner about ready?”

You nodded. “Should be.”

You all went downstairs, Joe helping you with your slow pace. You served dinner and when there was a lull in the conversation, Joe cleared his throat. 

“So, Ben,” he began, and he took  your hand. “There was something we wanted to ask you.”

Ben raised his eyebrows at the both of you. “Okay?”

“We’ve thought about it a lot, and we wanted to know if you would be Joey’s godfather,” Joe said.

A smile erupted across Ben’s face. “Really? D’you mean it?”

“Yeah!” you assured him. “We think you’d be wonderful!”

Ben laughed. “I thought...I thought you’d pick Rami for sure. I can’t believe it!”

“So you’ll do it?” Joe asked to clarify.

“Of bloody course I will!” Ben cried. “I’m honored!”

He stood up and hugged you both. 

“Sorry your Valentine’s Day was just us,” you said when he kissed your cheek. “But I hope we made it okay.”

“Are you kidding?” he replied, still grinning. “This is the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had. Thank you so much, guys.”

At that moment, you felt a small contraction. Your breath hitched in your throat at the feeling. You’d been having them every few days since you were so close to your due date, but  you knew when you would need to go to the hospital and it wasn’t time yet. 

“Alright?” Ben wondered.

“Another contraction?” asked Joe.

You nodded. Ben shot Joe a worried look. 

“Not yet,” Joe said with a laugh. “It’s just that he’s close.”

“Yeah, he could come any day now,” you said. “I have had more contractions today than before. Maybe it will be his godfather that brings him out.”

Ben smiled. “I’m so excited.”

“Us too,” Joe said. 

You took a deep breath. “I think I will go up and lie down. Do you guys mind doing the dishes?”

“We can take care of that,” said Joe. “Besides, you cooked, so I clean. Those are the rules.”

“I’m still getting used to it,” you said with a laugh, and reached out to give Ben another hug. “I’ll go ahead and tell you goodnight. Thanks for being here, Ben.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he replied, kissing the top of your head.

You pecked Joe on the lips. “I’ll see you upstairs.”

“Love you,” he said. 

He was thankful - for years afterward - that those were the last words he said to you before you closed your eyes that night. He stayed up with Ben, catching up on the couch as they each had a beer. They laughed and talked as if they had never been apart at all. 

“I really am amazed you’re about to be a father, mate,” Ben said. 

“And you’re gonna be a godfather,” Joe returned. “As well as Uncle Ben.”

“Seriously,” Ben said. “You’re gonna be a great dad, Joe. You’ve supported Y/N through so much, even beyond the pregnancy. You and her are like the dream team.”

“I think so,” Joe agreed. “I’m just ready to be married to her now. Maybe have another pretty soon.”

“You’ll have the perfect little family.”

“Honestly, Ben. It’s like, cosmic that she and I found each other. It was like I’d known her forever, just seeing her when we walked into that newsroom. Like we’d stayed friends and nothing else had happened.”

“Everyone wants what you two have. To be that sure about a person...I’m jealous.”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything,” Joe said. “She’s it.”

Ben opened his mouth to reply, but they both stopped when they heard you cry out like a wounded animal from upstairs. Both men leapt to their feet and stormed up the stairs to your bedroom. When they burst through the door, they found you thrashing on the bed, crying and yelling.

“It hurts!” you cried. “It hurts!”

“Y/N!” Joe called to you, crawling up beside you on the bed. “Y/N, can you hear me?”

You paused, panting, just barely opening your eyes. 

“Joe?” you breathed. 

“Has it started?” Ben asked.

“I’m not sure,” Joe returned.

“Wha...what’s Ben doing here?” you wondered blearily. 

“Honey, he’s been here all night,” Joe said, brow furrowing. “We just had dinner.”

You started to answer but shouted again. “Fuck! My head! Joe, it hurts!”

“What’s happening?” Ben cried.

“I have no idea!” Joe said. 

You shrieked beside him, writhing again. More tears spilled down your face. Joe’s heart broke at the sight. He felt so helpless.

“Should I call an ambulance?” Ben asked. 

“No, let’s just take her ourselves,” Joe instructed. “Help me lift her, I don’t think she can walk.”

He pulled back the covers, and he tried to touch your face to tell you they were going to carry you. You couldn’t open your eyes, though. And you were clutching your head too tightly for him to touch you.

“Joe,” said Ben darkly. “Look.”

He followed Ben’s gaze and saw the dark spot between your legs. Your water was broken. You were in labor and you didn’t even realize it. Worry shot through his heart. What was going on with your head that could make it so bad you couldn’t even feel contractions? 

“We gotta be fast,” Joe said, and he put his arms underneath you on one side. 

Ben took the other side and together they lifted you off the bed. You moaned with pain, but you weren’t screaming anymore, either. You turned your head into Joe’s chest and whimpered into him, tears dampening the cotton. 

“Stay with me, baby,” he said. “We’re gonna get you some help, okay?”

You didn’t answer. You just moaned again. They carried you to the car and placed your carefully in the back seat. Joe told Ben to get in with you so he could drive. 

“Are you sure?” Ben asked. “I can drive if you want to sit with her.”

“I’ll be faster, I know where I’m going,” Joe insisted. 

Ben did as he was told. Joe gave you one last desperate look before climbing behind the wheel and taking off as fast as legally possible. It was pretty late, so traffic was light, but he still felt his heart rate taking off the closer you got. 

You gave another pitiful moan, grabbing your head again and yelling. 

Joe’s throat became thick as he heard you scream once more, “Ahhh! My head!”

When he pulled up to the hospital, he and Ben helped you inside. He told the nurse you were in labor and they got you set up in a room to prepare you for delivery. Your headache subsided as you got settled, but you couldn’t remember getting to the hospital now. Joe frowned, confused at your confusion. 

“Okay, Dr. Barrow is already here so he’ll be down in just a minute to check on you,” the nurse said. “First I’m gonna take your blood pressure.”

Joe watched as you held out your arm and the nurse recorded the number. 

“Okay, it’s pretty high, but nothing to worry about yet,” she said. 

“What about the headaches?” Joe asked. “And where’s Dr. Jones?”

“Dr. Jones is on her way,” she told him. “And Dr. Barrow can tell you about the headaches and if it’s anything to worry about.”

She left and Joe began pacing. Ben took the chair next to your bed. You closed your eyes and winced when you felt a contraction. 

“Did my water break?” you asked.

“Yes, baby, we told you in the car,” Joe said. “You’re in labor.”

“It just doesn’t really feel like it,” you said.

Joe and Ben exchanged worried glances. 

“Rami and Lucy are on the way,” Ben said. “I texted them. Gwilym’s on the plane, so I haven’t heard back from him yet.”

“Is Christy coming?” you questioned.

“Yeah, I texted her,” Joe answered. 

“Good,” you said with a sigh. 

At that moment, Dr. Barrow came in. 

“How are we doing?” he asked cheerfully. “Ready to have a baby?”

“Things are fine,” you said tiredly.

“What?” said Joe. “No, honey, they’re not. Dr. Barrow, we had to come tonight because she’s having severe headaches. She didn’t even realize she was in labor her head hurt so bad.”

“Women often exaggerate -” he began.

Joe cut him off. “Doctor, she was screaming.”

“This can happen during labor,” Dr. Barrow said. “For now, we’ll monitor her contractions and dilation.”

He left and Joe groaned. 

“He’s kind of a prick, isn’t he?” Ben remarked.

“More than that,” Joe said. “He’s ignored every concern we’ve had. I think he just doesn’t want to deal with anything that could go wrong.”

“He’s in the wrong profession for that,” Ben said. 

“I’ll say,” said Joe. 

In another five minutes, Rami, Lucy, and Christy had arrived. They all looked happy, but the smiles faltered when they saw Joe and Ben’s faces.

“What’s wrong?” Christy asked.

“We don’t know,” Joe said. “But it’s something.”

“Hey, guys,” you said from the bed. 

Christy stepped over to you and took your hand. “Everything okay, sweetie?”

You nodded. “I think so. It’s probably too early for you guys to come to the hospital. Joey won’t be here for another few hours.”

“Don’t be silly,” she returned. “We want to be here for the whole thing.”

You looked at your hand in hers. “God, my fingers look huge.”

Christy blinked. “Don’t worry about that right now. Just focus on getting your baby out safely.”  
“Has the doctor seen her?” Rami wondered.

Joe nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not our primary doctor, and he’s not taking it very seriously.”

You choked on the next thing your were about to say to Christy as another headache came over you. You squeezed your eyes shut and howled with pain. 

“MY HEAD!” you shrieked. “JOE! IT HURTS!”

You slammed your fist down onto the bed, writhing again. Joe grabbed your hand. 

“Hey, stay with me, baby, we’re gonna figure this out,” he said, stroking your arm in an attempt to soothe you. 

Christy ran and got the first nurse she saw. Luckily, she was approaching with Dr. Jones. When they heard your cries, they came running.

“What’s happening?” Dr. Jones called over your yells.

“I don’t know!” Joe returned. “She’s had headaches all night and she’s completely out of it!”

“Oh, God,” Dr. Jones said. “Has her blood pressure lowered since I saw you?”

“The nurse said it was still high when she took it a minute ago,” Joe explained.

“I need to test the latest sample of her urine,” she said. “I’m gonna take care of that and I’ll be back soon. This looks like preeclampsia, and if that’s the case we need to get her an IV of magnesium to prevent her from seizing.”

“She could have a seizure?!”

“Not if we act fast,” she said. “If we’ve caught it soon enough, then we can also avoid a c-section.”

“If it we didn’t catch it on time?” 

“We won’t worry about that unless it’s true,” she said. “For now, try to keep her focused on labor.”

She left to run the tests. You were recovering again, taking deep breaths as sweat coated your skin. Your eyes were red and puffy from your bouts of crying. Tears still rolled softly down your cheek and you reached for Joe. He knelt down and took your hand, fighting back tears himself.

“Joe,” you whined. “I’m scared.”

“I know, baby, I’m scared too,” he said. “But we’re together. Just stay with me, okay?”

You only nodded. Then Dr. Jones poked her head inside and called Joe out. You looked at your friends around you. You reached one hand out to Christy and the other out to Ben, knowing you had to tell someone, and it might as well be Joey’s godparents. They each took your hand.

“What’s up, Y/N?” Christy asked.

You swallowed thickly. “If something happens, and I don’t make it through the night -”  
“Don’t say that,” Ben said gently.

“Please,” you said. “If I don’t, tell them - and Joe - to do whatever it takes to save my son. Even if it puts me at risk. I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I’m going to try my hardest to get through this. But if I can’t…” you trailed off, emotion taking your voice.

“We’ll save Joey,” Christy assured you after swallowing hard.

“We promise,” Ben agreed, stroking your hand lightly.

Lucy couldn’t stand it. She buried her face in Rami’s shoulder. He rubbed her back, wiping his eyes with his free hand. 

“Where’s Gwilym?” you wondered.

“He’s on his way,” Ben said. “His plane doesn’t land for another two hours, though.”

“We told you, honey,” Christy added. “You don’t remember?”

“I think so,” you said, but you really couldn’t remember talking about Gwilym. 

“It’s okay,” Ben told you. “We’ll remind you of anything you forget.”

Meanwhile, Joe was outside talking to Dr. Jones.

“I’ve just gotten some test results back,” she said. “The protein level in her urine is high. That paired with high blood pressure, swelling, headaches, and muddled mind tells me this is a pretty severe case of preeclampsia. How long has she been having headaches?”

“The intense ones only started tonight,” he said. “But she’s been having them since the second trimester.”

Dr. Jones’s eyes went wide. “Did she tell Dr. Barrow?”

Joe nodded. “Yes. Several times. He said everything was fine.”

“He made no notes in her file that she had complained at all,” she said. “I’m so sorry, Joe. Clearly, he didn’t see all these symptoms together, and now she’s at risk.”

“Is - is she gonna be okay?” he wondered.

“I believe so,” she said. “I’ve already ordered her IV to keep her from having a seizure, but the only cure for preeclampsia is to deliver the baby. Luckily, she’s already in labor and we don’t have to induce. I’m going to keep her on magnesium and see if we can successfully deliver the baby vaginally. I’d like to avoid a c-section if possible.”

The nurses walked by with the IV bag, saying nothing as they closed the door again.

“I can’t make any promises,” Dr. Jones continued. “But what I can say is that preeclampsia is rare, but very treatable. It makes delivery more difficult and maybe a little more painful, but not impossible. We don’t need to worry until it develops into full eclampsia. And even then, we’re already at the hospital and ready to treat her if she seizes.” 

“But once the baby is born, she’ll be fine?” he asked.

“Should be,” she replied. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to have a few words with Dr. Barrow. The fact that he missed this is pretty alarming.”

Joe watched her disappear down the hall. He felt a little better but he was still worried. He squeezed his eyes shut, but he couldn’t forget the sight of you thrashing around and the sound of your screams. He shook his head to clear his mind and then returned to the room.

The IV was attached and you seemed to be doing better. You didn’t look so weak anymore. He walked over and explained to everyone what Dr. Jones told him. 

“So, everything’s gonna be okay?” Christy asked.

“Dr. Jones seemed pretty confident of that,” Joe said. 

She sunk into her chair and let out a shaky breath. “Oh, thank God.”

Time slipped by. Your headaches had ceased as one hour passed into two. When you were seven centimeters dilated, it was almost time to push, so Dr. Jones told everyone but Joe to relocate to the waiting room. They did, and waited anxiously. While they were out there, Gwilym arrived, looking worried and breathless. Ben and Rami updated him on everything that had happened. He looked relieved that you were going to be alright and that he hadn’t missed Joey’s arrival.

Before too much longer, Joe emerged, grinning so hard it was a miracle his face wasn’t split in two. He was laughing, but tears spilled down his cheeks. Everyone got to their feet, smiling back at him.

“He’s here,” he managed to say. “He’s ready to meet you all.”

They surged forward to hug and congratulate him. Christy was the first to break away and head to your room. Joe shook hands with Gwilym and told him he was glad he’d made it. Then they all followed Christy and came in to see you looking exhausted but happy, and holding your baby in your arms. He let out a little gurgle and you beamed at him. Your heart felt full. You’d never known a love so powerful as what you felt when you looked at your son.

Your friends surrounded you and you smiled at them. 

“He’s beautiful, Y/N,” Christy said, deftly touching his head. “I’m so proud of you.”

Joe took a seat beside you on the bed and kissed your cheek. “You did wonderful.”

“Thank you,” you said. “Do you guys want to hold him?”

They nodded. You handed the baby to Joe, who passed him first to Ben. Ben looked a little terrified and you almost laughed. You held back, not wanting to make him feel bad. He held Joey close to his chest. He looked so small in Ben’s arms.

“I’m so tired,” you said with a yawn. “I hate to be rude, but I’m going to sleep a little.”

“Go ahead, baby,” Joe said, tucking you under his arm. “You’ve earned it.”

You closed your eyes and dozed against his chest.

Ben passed the baby to Rami next. He stirred and just barely blinked up at Rami. 

“He’s got your eyes, Joe,” he said.

“He’s so cute,” Lucy cooed, looking down at him in Rami’s arms. “He might actually be the cutest baby in the world.”

“I agree, but I’m probably biased considering I helped make him,” Joe returned.

Rami passed him to Lucy. “Well, she didn’t,” he said lightly. “So I think it’s a fair statement.”

They continued to pass Joey around. They snapped a few photos to put on social media later, but didn’t post anything yet. Joe also requested they not take any of you while you were asleep since you weren’t able to give them permission. They respected that. Gwilym sent photos of Joe holding the baby to Brian and Roger, who had asked for updates after the child was born. 

At one point, Christy left to get everyone coffee. It was the middle of the morning now so everyone was starting to crash a little from being up all night. When she finished passing them out, everyone felt at ease. Ben was holding Joey again, claiming godfather rights. Suddenly, your eyes snapped open and you looked at Joe’s face.

“Joe -” you began, but cut yourself off with a strangled cry, grabbing your head again. 

“Shit!” Joe yelled getting to his knees to try and hold you still. 

Christy and Lucy hurtled out the door to fetch the doctor.

You squirmed on the bed. Your screaming stopped when you found yourself gasping for air. You couldn’t fill your lungs. Your vision blurred.

Joe looked on in horror as you wheezed, head thrown in the pillow, and eyes beginning to roll back into your head. 

“Y/N, breathe!” he cried desperately as he took hold of your hand and held it to his chest. “Stay with me! Come on!”

Your body jerked some more as your face started to turn blue. 

“No, no, no, NO!” Joe yelled. “Don’t leave me, Y/N! Please stay with me!”

The jerks slowed to small twitches. Your head started to slump to the right. Your hand became limp in Joe’s.

“Stay with me, Y/N!” he continued, grasping your arm as if it was what tied you to this world. “Baby, PLEASE!”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One Year Later

“Joey!” Joe blubbered at his son. “Do you know that it’s your birthday? That you’re a year old today?” 

They were sprawled out on the floor, on Joey’s favorite blanket as he played with a few gifts Joe had already given him first thing in the morning. He wanted today to be happy. A real celebration.

Joey said a soft “Da-da” back and Joe’s heart swelled. 

“Of course you know, you brilliant boy!” He kissed him on the nose.

There was a soft knock on the door, so Joe stood up, bending over to pick up Joey, and he padded down the little hallway to answer. He opened it to reveal Ben. He carried a few gifts and a bottle of wine.

“Hey, mate,” he said to Joe and then beamed at Joey. “Happy birthday, darling boy!”

Joe smiled. “Can you say thank you to Uncle Ben, buddy?”

Joey just grinned and grasped for Ben. Joe stepped aside to allow Ben through the door. They made their way to the kitchen to Ben could set his things down. Then he took Joey in his arms and kissed his face until the boy was shrieking and giggling.

“I finally had to hide cardboard Ben,” Joe said as he watched. “Joey kept wanting him to hold him and then he’d cry when he couldn’t.”

“Oh, no!” Ben laughed. “Well, I’ll try to stop by more often so he can have the real thing.”

Gwilym arrived next. He also had too many gifts. Rami and Lucy followed, newlywed and looking thrilled. They all wished Joey a very happy birthday and he beamed at their affection.

“He looks more like you every day, Joe,” Gwilym observed, caressing Joey’s little head. 

Joe shrugged. “Well, he’s got Y/N’s smile.”

“Well, she gave him a good one, didn’t she?” Lucy added, pinching Joey’s cheek softly.

“Where is Y/N, by the way?” Rami asked.

“Picking up the cake,” Joe said. “Apparently there was a mishap at the bakery. They thought she said ‘joy’ instead of ‘Joey.’”

Ben snorted. “That’s hilarious. I hope she got a picture.”

“Yeah, wanna see?” Joe offered, picking up his phone.

He opened it to show them a picture Christy took of you holding the cake and pretending to cry. It was followed by one of the baker fixing it while you did a thumbs up and grinned. They all laughed.

“I tried to tell her he wouldn’t care, but she said this was mostly for her anyway,” he said, chuckling. 

“God, I love her,” Lucy said. 

“She should be home pretty soon,” he replied, glancing out the window. “I’m not sure what’s taking so long.”

Rami put a comforting hand on Joe’s shoulder. “She’s probably just driving, Joe.”

Since the day Joey was born - the day Joe nearly lost you - he was more protective than before. It took Ben, Rami, and Gwilym practically kidnapping him to get him to the Oscars the following week. Christy stayed with you and Joey, since eclampsia could cause postpartum seizures sometimes. Thankfully, you didn’t have another one and Joe had nothing to worry about. He also insisted on getting married as soon as possible. He had told you that when he thought you were gone, his biggest regret was not marrying you. So, on March first, you went to the courthouse and sealed the deal. Christy served as your witness, and she held Joey in her arms.

Since then, he took you and Joey everywhere with him. Wherever he was filming, you guys got to go. It was actually really fun. You had hated being apart from him during your pregnancy, and you liked that Joey got to spend more time with his dad. You quit your job at Everything Entertainment to be a full time mother, so you didn’t mind this new lifestyle.

You did not remember most of the day of Joey’s birth. You remembered childbirth, of course, but the hours before and the seizure after were blank. Joe tried to explain it to you, but he got so emotional that you told him it was probably best you didn’t know. Dr. Jones acted quickly, and they were just barely able to save you. You remembered the way Joe held you when you came back to him. The sound of his sobs as he thanked God you were alive. That was the part you would never forget.

To this day, Joe went to bed when you did. He was sure to tell you he loved you every night before you fell asleep. It was also the first thing he said each morning. He told you he would never again take for granted the fact that you were there to say it back.

When your car pulled into the driveway, he let out a small sigh of relief. He watched you and Christy walk up to the front door, cake in tow, and within seconds you appeared in the kitchen.

“Hi, everybody!” you greeted, as Joe beat them to you and took you in his arms. “Hi, honey!”

He kissed your cheek. “The cake come out okay?”

“It’s perfect,” Christy answered, placing it on the counter where everyone could see.

They “oohed” and “ahhed” over it for a moment and then you freed yourself from Joe to say hello to everyone, including your son, who was currently in Gwilym’s arms. Joey let you kiss him but clung to Gwilym’s sweater, so you let him stay there.

“Oh, Joe, you’ll never guess who I saw at the grocery store!” you said.

“Who was it?” he wondered.

“Nick!” you cried, still in disbelief. “He’s working at the deli there as a butcher basically. But he showed me his one year chip, so he’s doing really well.”

“Good for him!” Joe agreed. “Glad to hear he’s on the right track.”

“Yeah, supposedly he found Jesus or something in prison,” you explained. “Whatever helps, I guess. I told him I was proud of him.”

“You’re so sweet, baby,” he said.

You all chatted for a little while longer, sipping drinks and picking at snacks you had put out before you left to get the cake. Joe was making spaghetti for dinner, but that wouldn’t be until later. You were finally holding Joey again and talking to Lucy when he suddenly squirmed in your arms.

“Bee!” he cried, reaching for Ben and opening and closing his tiny fists.

All eyes turned on him at his little outburst. 

“Beeeeeeee!” he said again, struggling harder. 

You laughed. “Okay, I get it, you want Ben!”

Ben walked over and relieved you. 

“I guess you’re Bee now,” you joked. 

“He can call me whatever he wants, really,” Ben returned. “He’s my favorite person in the whole world.”

“I’d say the feeling’s pretty mutual,” you replied.

Joey affectionately grabbed Ben’s nose.

“How’s he doing on the talking?” asked Lucy.

“Pretty good!” you said. “He knows ‘Mama’ and ‘Dada’ and ‘No,’ and a few other simple words. Now apparently he’s got half of Ben’s name.”

“I’m trying to get him to say ‘Christy’ but no luck so far,” said Christy.

“I don’t have a prayer, do I?” Gwilym joked. 

You chuckled and shook your head. “Not for a while, anyway.”

You looked on as Ben spun Joey around in circles until the boy was breathless from laughter. When Ben would stop, he would cry, “Bee, go!” and Ben would start again. This went on for several minutes until both Ben and Joey were giggly and dizzy. 

“Should we open presents now?” you asked, checking your watch.

Everyone agreed and moved to the living room, taking seats on the sectional. All save Ben, who sat on the floor with Joey. You and Joe gathered up all the presents and set them down around him.

“Are you ready, Joey?” Ben asked. “Bee’s gonna help you, so which d’you wanna open first?”

He reached for a package from Brian and Roger. They were on tour, but had sent the gift and a card with their love. Ben helped him open it and it turned out to be a toy guitar and some Queen jammies. You were writing everything down so you could do thank you cards later. 

There were so many gifts that Rami and Gwilym ended up pitching in to help open as well. Lucy and Christy took so many photos you were sure their phones would run out of memory. Joey was blessed with an abundance of love and gifts. The guys helped him sort them out while you went to get candles on the cake. You laughed as you watched them from the kitchen. Rami was passing Joey a ball.

“Ami!” Joey said with delight, bouncing up and down. 

“Really close, bud!” Joe praised. 

“I’m thrilled he got that much!” Rami returned. 

Lucy joined you in the kitchen to offer her help. You assured her it was fine since you only needed one candle. 

“You and Joe have made the perfect little boy,” she said.

“Thank you, Luc,” you replied. “Honestly, I want to try for another.”

She cocked her head to the side with a questioning look. You shook your head.

“Nevermind,” you said. “I shouldn’t talk about this now.”

She sighed, then stepped closer so she could speak in a lower voice. “Joe’s hesitant to have another baby?”

“Yeah,” you whispered back. “It’s weird because he was the one who wanted more kids from the start.”

“Okay, I’m gonna tell you something but you didn’t hear it from me,” she said, and you nodded. “Joe really blamed himself for your near death experience. He told Rami he felt terrible because he felt like he could have done more to help with your blood pressure or reached out to Dr. Jones when you said you had the headaches. He even said something like ‘if I hadn’t gotten her pregnant in the first place…’”

“Oh my God,” you breathed. “He really felt that way?”

“Just for a little while,” she told you. “They had that conversation after the Oscars, but it could mean that he doesn’t want to risk losing you again.”

“I can’t believe he never told me he was going through that…” you said.

“He didn’t want you to worry,” she explained. “He was so scared you were gone, Y/N. We all were. But it really just...tore Joe up.”

Tears welled up in your eyes. You blinked them away and refocused on the cake. You quietly thanked Lucy for telling you before calling the boys and Christy over. You lit the candle and Joe carried Joey over and placed him in his high chair. 

As you brought the cake over, everyone started to sing the birthday song to Joey. He looked confused, although pleased to have everyone’s attention. After the candle was blown out and your little boy had made a proper mess of himself with the icing, everyone clapped for him. You started to take him upstairs for a quick bath and a change, but your friends insisted on doing it for you, so all of them took Joey upstairs, leaving you and Joe to clean up the kitchen. 

Joe started cutting slices of cake for the adults to enjoy while you swept up the crumbs from under Joey’s highchair. Lucy’s words were still fresh in your mind as you went, and you wondered how to bring it up. It just upset you so much that he never confided in you.

“I can’t believe it’s been a year already,” you said casually. “I feel like he was born yesterday.”

“No offense, but I’m pretty glad that day has passed,” he said with a chuckle.

Tears clouded your eyes again. 

“I’m sorry, Joe,” you said, your voice thick with emotion. “I know that was a difficult day for you.”

“It’s not your fault, baby,” he said sweetly.

“It’s not yours either, you know,” you returned. You turned to face him and saw him stiffen at your words. “Joe, do you...do you regret having Joey?”

“What?! No!” he insisted. “I love our son. I wouldn’t trade him for anything.”

You sniffled. “I’d go through it all again for him,” you choked out. “For him, and any other children we have.” 

“What are you trying to say, Y/N?” he asked pointedly. 

“I’ve been talking a bit about wanting another baby and you keep blowing me off,” you explained. “I think it’s because you’re afraid of a repeat of Joey’s birth, but that wouldn’t happen. We know what to look for now.”

He averted his eyes. You stepped to him where he leaned against the counter, wrapping your arms around his waist and pressing your lips to his shoulder. 

“I love you, Joe,” you said. “I love you so much. I’ll never leave you again, I promise.”

He turned around in your arms and held you closer. He kissed the top of your head. “I love you too. I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding that conversation. I just...I’m so scared of losing you. Even thinking about it now...God, my heart can’t take it.”

You squeezed him gently. “I’m right here, Joe. In your arms. Forever.”

He rested his cheek on your head. You stood there like that for what felt like hours, just holding each other.

You heard your friends thundering back down the stairs. Rami held Joey, who was in his new Queen pajamas, smiling and laughing. You quickly wiped your eyes and smiled at him.

“Wow, we have the coolest baby in the world!” you said excitedly. “Thanks for cleaning him up, guys.”

“It was fun,” Gwilym assured you. 

“Your bathroom might be a mess now, but that’s not important,” Christy said lightly.

You rolled your eyes. “Oh, God.”

Joey reached for you, so Rami allowed you to gather the boy in your arms. You felt a little bad that you hadn’t practiced hardly any walking with him the whole day, but you figured on his birthday he could be a little spoiled. You adjusted the little tuft of hair on his head.

“Did you have fun with your aunties and uncles?” you asked. “They love you so much! You are a lucky boy!”

He spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with his new toys. But he probably had the most fun when Ben and Gwilym put him in one of the larger boxes and dragged him around the living room. Again, you rolled your eyes. All the toys he got, and he loved the box. He was also fascinated by the toy guitar, which, when strummed, played famous rock songs. From Queen, it played a portion of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Around seven, it was time for him to go to bed, so you let him choose one of the books Gwilym got him for a bedtime story, and then everyone told him goodnight before you carried him upstairs to put him down for the night. Joe was finishing up dinner.

“Ben can you watch the stove?” he asked. “I’m gonna run up and give Joey one more kiss.”

Ben agreed and Joe followed you upstairs. He watched from the hallway as you read aloud to Joey on your bed. It was a story about a family and Joey was riveted by the pictures and the pages turning.

“Can you find the mommy?” you asked him.

He slapped his hand down on the page and you smiled. 

“Very good!” you praised. “Can you find the daddy?”

He did the same on the other side of the page.

“Very good! And can you find the baby?”

Again, he hit the mark.

“Very, very good, Joey! You’re my smart boy!”

You kissed his cheek and he giggled. He pointed to another part of the picture and looked questioningly up at you.

“That’s a doggie,” you said. “We don’t have one of those.”

You continued the story. Joe appeared in the doorframe and you smiled at him. Joey’s sleepy head finally plopped onto your shoulder and you carried him to his crib, Joe close by. When Joey was settled, your husband looked at you, something flickering behind his eyes.

“Okay,” he said.

“Okay, what?” you wondered, as you closed the nursery door.

“Let’s have another.”

You gasped. “Joe, really?! You really want to?!”

He nodded and grinned at you. “I really want to, Y/N.”

You threw yourself happily into his arms. He spun you around and kissed you. Then, taking his hand, you followed him back down to the kitchen to have dinner with your friends.

Dinner was fun, and you realized how much you missed everyone when they had to leave. But the evening wound down, and it was time for them to head to their hotel rooms or home. You would see them again in the morning when you were all going to brunch, but pretty soon after that, they’d all go their separate ways, and you were never quite sure when you’d all be together again. It always made you a little sad.

When everyone was gone, you watched Joe lock the door behind them. He slowly walked back over to you and took you in his arms. He kissed you fiercely. You thought you might melt from the heat of it.

“I love you so much,” you whispered breathlessly. “So much, Joe.”

“I love you, Y/N,” he returned, holding you tightly. “Fuck, I love you so much.”

He carried you to your bedroom and made sweet, slow love to you. Throughout, he told you again how much he loved you. He also showed you through the way he touched you and kissed you and thrust into you. You held tight to him, gasping and moaning softly, but taking everything he had to give. All you could say or think was  _ Joe, Joe, Joe, Joe _ . 

You fell asleep that night completely engulfed in one another. Taking comfort in each other’s presence. Knowing you’d both be there in the morning and every morning after. Your family would grow, but this tangled heap in the bed was the heart of it. Where love began and never ended.


	14. Epilogue

Life with Joe and the kids was everything you ever hoped for. Your daughter, Grace, was born the summer after Joey turned two. He adored his little sister, and that held true through their childhood. You also got a dog. A golden retriever who the kids named Ramen Noodle. His nickname inexplicably became “Noods.” Joe found that hilarious, and when he was away shooting somewhere, he’d often text you “send noods” which meant he wanted a picture of Noodle and the kids. You also found this funny, but the kids didn’t get it.

When they started school, you stopped travelling with Joe when he was filming. He also took fewer jobs that took him away from his family. When he was gone, you made sure to FaceTime with him every night before they went to bed so he could tell them he loved them and goodnight. It was a big part of making your home - ensuring that everyone knew how much they were loved.

You also had a lot of fun. On days when the kids seemed particularly drained as they sat at the dinner table - from school or friends or whatever - you and Joe would look at each other. Smirking, you’d both call out “Rude night!” and everything was allowed. They could put their elbows on the table, eat with their hands, even belching was permitted and encouraged. Rude night led to a lot of laughter, so it never failed to cheer them up.

As the kids grew and started making friends, they found you and Joe absolutely embarrassing. You were pretty much always holding hands, kissing, tapping each other on the ass, and when their friends came over it made Joey and Grace hide their faces behind their hands. It was especially bad when you would re-enact cheesy movie scenes, like the time you were cooking dinner for the kids and their friends when Joe came up behind you and you did the “I’m flying!” bit from Titanic. The kids protested so much that Noodle started barking and you and Joe were in hysterics.

Out of everything, your absolute favorite times with your family were the holidays. Christmas was especially wonderful. The kids were helpful and thoughtful and so excited about the season. They really loved baking cookies with you and Joe. The kitchen ended up a disaster, but you had so much fun, you barely noticed.

One Christmas morning, when the kids were still pretty little, you and Joe watched them tear open all their presents and go to town, playing with everything all at once. Joe’s mother was with you guys that year, so they were excitedly explaining everything they got to her. You took that moment to pull Joe aside and give him his present from you.

Gently, he tore open the paper around the box while you smiled. He examined it.

“A camera!” he said. “That’s a great gift, baby, thank you!”

It was a nice, but simple DSLR. He pulled you in to kiss you on the cheek. He stood on your toes to whisper in his ear.

“Turn it on,” you said. “I may have broken it in already.”

He raised his eyebrows at you as he opened the box and retrieved the camera. He took a sip of coffee as he flicked the switched to on, but he nearly choked on it when the first photo came up. It was you, clad only in lingerie and staring seductively up at the lens.

“Shit, baby,” he said under his breath as he gazed at it. “You...you didn’t have to do this for me.”

“I know,” you said. “I wanted to do this for you. I love you, Joe. And you’ve given me a life I couldn’t even dream of.”

“I love you too,” he replied, pecking your lips. “I know how big this is for you. Believe me, no one will see them but me.”

“I believe you,” you assured him.

“Out of curiosity, who took these?” he asked as he scrolled through them, his breath catching at some of the racier ones.

“Lucy,” you told him. “When we were out there for Thanksgiving I told her I had no idea what to get you for Christmas, so she suggested this.”

He swallowed. “I am gonna send her the biggest thank you card.”

You giggled. “You really like it?”

He turned it off, unable to look at anymore until he could get you alone. Then he wrapped his arms around you.

“I love it,” he said. “You’re legitimately the coolest wife in the world.”

“Seriously, Joe,” you said. “Thank you for asking me out that day we met again. If you hadn’t taken that chance...we wouldn’t have all of this.”

“I’d do it all again in a heartbeat,” he said, hugging you close. “Every moment of it.”

You hummed happily in his arms. The kids came tearing into the kitchen from the living room, their grandmother close behind, and you and Joe separated and looked at them.

“Mommy, Daddy,” Grace said. “Can we watch the Grinch, pleeeeeeeeease?”

“Sure, sweetie,” you said, stroking her hair.

“Is that what you wanna watch, bud?” Joe asked Joey.

“Yeah, if it’s what Grace wants,” he answered.

You kissed your son on the head. “You’re a very sweet big brother, Joey.”

He grinned. Grace gave him a quick hug and then darted back to the living room. 

“Grace, wait!” he called. “Nana said she needs more coffee first!”

“I’m just turning it on!” she insisted from the couch.

Joe fetched some coffee for his mother and then led her and Joey to join Grace. You watched, heart full. Everything in your life prior to Joe felt far away, as if it happened to another woman. In some other world. Like she was a character you’d read about in a book. And yet, every step you had taken led you to him, and who you were with him at your side. Your family looked at you expectantly as you stood there. You locked eyes with Joe and smiled before stepping forward to catch up.


End file.
